Investigating the Effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Anxiety on Health Behaviors and Lifestyles of Clients and Employees of Care Centers for Chronic Mental Patients

Introduction: Covid-19 recently ravaged worldwide, causing anxiety that could affect daily life. Patients with mental illness seem to be more vulnerable to Covid-19 anxiety due to their special physical and mental condition. This study’s objective was to investigate the relationship between Covid-19 anxiety, health behaviors, and lifestyle among patients and employees of mental health care centers in Iran. Methods: A total of 23 employees and 43 clients from two centers for chronic mental diseases in Shirvan city were surveyed. Data were collected using Covid-19 anxiety, lifestyle, and health behaviors questionnaires. Inclusion criteria involved willingness to participate in the study and providing informed consent (for clients with mental incapacity, consent was obtained from their legal guardian). Exclusion criteria included failing to respond to more than one-third of the questions and having acute or severe psychosis (for clients). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 19 software, along with Pearson correlation coefficient, ANOVA, and independent t-test. Results: The average age of the participants was 38.2±10.56 years. Among them, 42.4% were women and 57.6% were men. The most common reason for hospitalization was schizophrenia (58.14%). The average score for Covid-19 anxiety was 1.95±2.56 for employees and 2.41±3.46 for clients, indicating that employees and clients rarely experienced Covid-19 anxiety. The average anxiety score was also significantly higher in women (3.2±4.03) compared to men (2.2±0.9) (P<0.001). The average health behavior score was 145.95±24.69 in employees and 133.48±27.88 in clients. Also, the average lifestyle score was 108.82±14.90 for employees and 90.72±25.10 for clients. No significant correlation was observed between the mean anxiety score and the health behaviors of employees and clients (r=-0.144, P=0.317) or their lifestyle (r=-0.189, P=0.40). Conclusion: Covid-19 anxiety was not a serious concern in the population studied, and their overall health behavior and lifestyle were appropriate. The overall health condition of patients with mental illnesses and their care takers should be regularly monitored and improved to promote various components of health and lifestyle behaviors among these individuals.