Anxiety in mothers of children with COVID-19 based on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

OBJECTIVES

to assess the anxiety level of mothers of children who had COVID-19 in a city in northeastern Brazil using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

METHODS

this cross-sectional study included mothers of children with COVID-19 in their first year of life, reported in e-SUS Notifica from February 2020 to January 2021. Data collection was conducted via telephone contact, using a questionnaire on maternal sociodemographic and epidemiological variables, as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test was used to assess associations between variables.

RESULTS

maternal anxiety was moderate (percentile between 25 and 75) for both the Trait Anxiety Inventory (50%) and the State Anxiety Inventory (50%). There was statistical significance for elevated anxiety among education level (p=0.010), income (p=0.027), and the State Anxiety Inventory.

CONCLUSIONS

mothers with children confirmed to have COVID-19 presented moderate anxiety levels, with elevated levels in those with low education and low income.