Fear of COVID-19 during confinement in Mauritius: a survey-based study

Background: Fear has been a common response to the coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) pandemic throughout the world. In Mauritius, the outbreak
of COVID-19 has been an exceptional occurrence requiring stringent
confinement of the population. In this study we have explored people’s
reactions to COVID-19 during confinement, with emphasis on fear and the
impact of news on the level of fear. Methods: An anonymized online survey
was carried out during confinement. Participation was voluntary.
Participants reported fear level on a scale from 1 to 10, where no fear
scored 1 and maximum fear scored 10. Participants reported the impact of
news on their fear level on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 represented no
impact and 10 represented maximum impact. Participants reported the status
of their information about COVID-19 on a scale of 1 to 10. Results: The
self-rated level of fear during confinement had a mean of 5.09 with 95%CI
[4.70, 5.47]. This increased to a mean of 6.39 with 95%CI [6.00-6.78] at
the prospect of confinement being lifted. The difference was statistically
significant (paired-sample T-test, p<0.05). With regard to the
impact of news on fear of COVID-19, the mean for local news was 5.97 with
95%CI [5.59, 6.34] whereas that of worldwide news was 6.86 with 95%CI
[6.50, 7.23]. Worldwide news had a more significant impact (paired-sample
T-test, p<0.05). The information score about COVID-19 had a mean of
5.12 with 95%CI [4.71, 5.53]. Conclusions: Participants experienced a
moderate level of fear of COVID-19 during confinement which increased at
the prospect of confinement being lifted, implying that people felt safer
during confinement. Their fear was influenced more by international news
than by local news. Overall participants reported that they were
moderately well informed about the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19,
fear, confinement, pandemic, impact of news, Mauritius