The effects of COVID-19 phobia on quality of life: a cross-sectional study of cancer patients

Objective: Cancer patients are defined as a risk group in the COVID-19. It is unknown how COVID-19 phobia affects the quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients who are vulnerable to infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of COVID-19 phobia on QoL in cancer patients. Patients and Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2020 and September 2020 in an Oncology Clinic within a State Hospital in Istanbul. Data were collected by using the following three tools: 1- sociodemographic characteristics, information on cancer diagnosis and treatment, the presence of COVID-19 and isolation measures for protection from COVID-19; 2- participants’ COVID-19 phobia; 3- the last tool was on defining the QoL. Results: The results showed that women had higher COVID-19 phobia than men, and marital status and education level had an impact on the QoL. It was observed that the factor affecting the total score of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale was the QoL_Physical score (6.8%), followed by the QoL_Environmental score (3.7%), gender (2.5%), and QoL_Social score (0.8%), respectively. Conclusions: This study addressed that is effectiveness of COVID-19 Phobia on QoL in cancer patients.