Relationship between Coronavirus Anxiety, Ago...

Relationship between Coronavirus Anxiety, Agoraphobia and OCD in Indian Population

Author Name : Swapnil Singh, Lakshika Malik

ABSTRACT

The Corona virus has severely disrupted normal life in an unprecedented manner. It has also led to people becoming more vulnerable to stress, anxiety and other mental disorders. Given the novelty of this virus and the paucity of research, this study examined how Coronavirus can trigger anxiety, and lead to the development of Agoraphobia and OCD symptoms in the India population. Standardized questionnaires were administered on 54 participants with the aim of understanding gender differences between males and females in terms of COVID anxiety and to study the relationship of COVID anxiety with both Agoraphobia and OCD. Results depicted a moderately significant relationship between COVID anxiety and both Agoraphobia and OCD, while no gender differences were observed. Limitations such as a small sample size, restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic, etc were discussed in detail. Future implications such as need for more budget allocation for mental health services and the need for follow-up studies are implied.

Keywords: COVID, Coronavirus anxiety, Agoraphobia and OCD