NOSOPHOBIA AND THANATOPHOBIA AMONG MEDICAL AND PARA-MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS DURING CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC- A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This research investigation is an attempt made to examine nosophobia and thanatophobia among the Medical and Para-medical professionals during Corona virus pandemic from a psychological perspective. The sample size for the present study will comprise of 300 randomly selected Medical and Para-medical professionals from two government hospitals (“Kamaraj Government Medical Hospital” in Chidambaram and “Cuddalore District Medical College and Hospital” in Annamalainagar) in Chidambaram District, Tamil Nadu (an area declared as red alert zone during Covid 19 Pandemic). Among the participants 59.3% (178) were males and 40.7 (122) were females. The age range was from 25 years to 49 years (Mean age= 38.2). The tools used for data collection were: (1) DASS-21 Scale and Impact of Events Scale- Revised (IES-R) (Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995) a standardized Psychological scale to assess anxiety, stress, and depression, selected after a comprehensive review of related literature along with (2) SemiStructured Interview Schedule for Nosophobia- designed by the research investigator to procure information on fear of diseases; (3) Semi-Structured Interview Schedule for Thanatophobia- designed by the research investigator to procure information on fear of death; and the (3) Personal Information Schedule, developed by the research investigator to procure relevant demographic information. The primary method of data collection was adopted in this study. The participants were contacted individually, and data was obtained based on face-to-face interview through questionnaire survey after obtaining informed consent. The data collection was spread over a period of 3 months. This research used mixed design both qualitative and quantitative were employed for data collection and analysis of results. The results of this study revealed that thanatophobia and nosophobia were present among Medical and Para-medical professionals dealing with patients during corona pandemic. The outcome of this research indicated that health care professionals adopt various coping strategies to overcome fear death and fear of diseases. Age had a significant negative relationship with depression and anxiety. Medical history has had a significant positive relationship with anxiety, stress, and depression. Stress, anxiety, and depression were found to be significant and positively related in this research.