THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF SOCIETY ON THE EXPANSION OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE CASES (COVID-19)

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has become a major health problem and has become an international concern. In Indonesia, the plague has become a serious concern by the government. Especially in the Province of South Sulawesi, the number of COVID-19 cases has a very significant increase every day. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the level of community anxiety in South Sulawesi, Indonesia during the COVID-19 outbreak. Data in this study will also be used for reference in future research. The study began from 27 January to 29 March 2020, researchers conducted a survey either directly by distributing it to the public, or by an online questionnaire with a purposive sampling technique using the STAI questionnaire. This study involved 3146 respondents. Overall, community anxiety about COVID-19 outbreaks was in the high category (35.0%), community state anxiety was in the moderate category (94.5%), and trait anxiety was moderate (94.6%). During the development of the COVID-19 virus in Indonesia, reported levels of public anxiety were in the high category. The findings of our study can be used to formulate and develop psychological interventions to reduce public anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.