And more than half of adults report concern about the financial impact of the pandemic
FRIDAY, March 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Nearly half of Americans (48 percent) are anxious about the possibility of getting COVID-19, while slightly fewer — four in 10 — are anxious about becoming seriously ill or dying from the disease, according to the results of a survey conducted by the American Psychiatric Association.
The online survey included a nationally representative sample of 1,004 adults, with responses collected on March 18 and 19 of this year.
According to the results of the survey, more than one-third of Americans (36 percent) report that COVID-19 is having a serious impact on their mental health, while nearly six in 10 (59 percent) feel that COVID-19 is having a serious impact on their day-to-day lives. The majority of adults are concerned that COVID-19 will have a serious negative impact on their finances (57 percent), while two-thirds of respondents (68 percent) fear that the pandemic will have a long-lasting impact on the economy. Half of respondents are worried about running out of food, medicine, or supplies.
“The stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic can and is having an effect on people’s physical and mental health,” Bruce Schwartz, M.D., president of the American Psychiatric Association, said in a statement. “During this time, it is important to do what we can to maintain self-care and manage the stress. I would suggest this for everyone coping at home as well as those who are still in their workplaces by necessity, especially the health care professionals on the front lines of this pandemic.”
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