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Gender Difference in Fear and Anxiety about and Perceived Susceptibility to COVID-19 in the Third Wave of Pandemic among the Japanese General Population: A Nationwide Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

Author

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  • Rio Sasaki

    (Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan)

  • Atsuhiko Ota

    (Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan)

  • Hiroshi Yatsuya

    (Department of Public Health and Health Systems, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan)

  • Takahiro Tabuchi

    (Cancer Control Center, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka 541-8567, Japan)

Abstract

Existing research suggested gender differences in fear and anxiety about and perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 and previous infectious disease pandemics. We analyzed whether women felt fear and anxiety about and perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 more frequently than men in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using internet survey data collected during the third wave of the pandemic in Japan. The subjects were enrolled from the Japanese general population: 11,957 men and 11,559 women. Fear and anxiety specifically related to COVID-19 were evaluated with the Japanese version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FoCS). The question “How likely do you think you will be infected with COVID-19?” was used to assess the perceived susceptibility to COVID-19. Women had higher mean (standard deviation) FoCS scores [18.6 (5.6) vs. 17.5 (5.9), d = 0.190] and reported the median or higher FoCS score (57.4% vs. 51.4%, φ = 0.060) and perceived susceptibility (13.6% vs. 11.5%, φ = 0.032) more frequently than men. The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) adjusted for age, having a spouse, comorbidities, watching commercial TV stations’ news programs, employment status, and household income were 1.24 (1.17–1.32) and 1.27 (1.16–1.38), respectively. We observed that women were more anxious and fearful about and perceived the susceptibility to infectious diseases more frequently than men even one year after the pandemic occurred in Japan, although the effect size was small.

Suggested Citation

  • Rio Sasaki & Atsuhiko Ota & Hiroshi Yatsuya & Takahiro Tabuchi, 2022. "Gender Difference in Fear and Anxiety about and Perceived Susceptibility to COVID-19 in the Third Wave of Pandemic among the Japanese General Population: A Nationwide Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:23:p:16239-:d:993265
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mami Wakabayashi & Yoshifumi Sugiyama & Midori Takada & Aya Kinjo & Hiroyasu Iso & Takahiro Tabuchi, 2022. "Loneliness and Increased Hazardous Alcohol Use: Data from a Nationwide Internet Survey with 1-Year Follow-Up," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Massimiliano Scopelliti & Maria Giuseppina Pacilli & Antonio Aquino, 2021. "TV News and COVID-19: Media Influence on Healthy Behavior in Public Spaces," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Yi Ding & Jie Yang & Tingting Ji & Yongyu Guo, 2021. "Women Suffered More Emotional and Life Distress than Men during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Pathogen Disgust Sensitivity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-9, August.
    4. Koubun Wakashima & Keigo Asai & Daisuke Kobayashi & Kohei Koiwa & Saeko Kamoshida & Mayumi Sakuraba, 2020. "The Japanese version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale: Reliability, validity, and relation to coping behavior," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-14, November.
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