Aim:

Infectious disease outbreaks not only affect the physical health of patients but also affect the psychological health and well-being of the uninfected population. High rates of psychiatric symptoms and stress are observed in the general population in COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare workers (HCWs) reported higher-risk perception and anxiety level. We aimed to evaluate the anxiety levels of HCWs and their children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 121 HCWs and 121 HCWs’ children aged 8-17 were included from 23 different cities to assess the anxiety level of them during the COVID-19 pandemic by using an online questionnaire. The Beck Anxiety Inventory and the parent Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) were applied to all the HCWs. The child SCARED which has a self-report scale for children of the HCWs had completed. COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire was applied to determine stress levels and lifestyle changes.

Results:

All of the HCWs had mild to severe anxiety, about 17% reported moderate and 27% reported severe anxiety severity. 40 (33.06%) children were over cut-off for total score in both SCARED the parents and the child version. Children anxiety showed a positive correlation with Beck Anxiety Inventory and COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire (<0.001).

Conclusion:

The current study found that HCWs and their children experienced a high level of anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic. It was detected that a positive correlation between HCWs and their children’s anxiety.

Keywords: Anxiety, children, pandemic, healthcare worker, COVID-19