Female gender and knowing a person positive for COVID-19 significantly increases fear levels in the Cuban population

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between sociodemographic factors and fear of COVID-19 in a Cuban population. A web-based study with a cross-sectional design was conducted. The sample comprised 1,145 participants. To explore fear, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used. Our results suggest that women were more likely to experience medium to high levels fear compared to men. Additionally, knowing a person positive for COVID-19 significantly increases fear levels in Cuban participants.

Keywords:

• Fear
• fear of COVID-19
• gender
• social proximity
• mental health

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Financial disclosure

The authors involved in this research communication do not have any relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) the findings.

Authors contributions

Study planning: YBP; Study plan validation: All authors; Data interpretation: All authors Data analysis: YBP & ZFF First draft: YBP; Final approval: All authors.