Evaluation of the prevalence of illness anxiety disorder following the COVID‐19 pandemic in Iran and its related factors: a cross‐sectional study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: COVID‐19 pandemic has generated a rise in psychological distress, such as illness anxiety disorder, apart from its negative physical effects. This study intends to the evaluation of illness anxiety disorder rate following the prevalence of COVID‐19 in Iran and its associated factors. METHODS: In this study, 634 people were studied. The data collection method was performed via the virtual networks using a questionnaire, with the sampling method being convenient and nonprobable with the method of snowball. Evans illness anxiety disorder questionnaire was utilized in this investigation. The logistic regression model and the χ (2) were used to evaluate the data. RESULTS: The prevalence of illness anxiety disorder was 12.1%. The chance to have an illness anxiety disorder in the people whose relatives had a history of COVID‐19 was 5.32 times, and in those who had a relative with a history of COVID‐19 had higher (odds ratio = 1.27). But, this connection in people who worked or studied in nonmedical fields, is several times more than those who are busy in the medical fields. In individuals of 30 years and older, the chance of patients in single people compared to married people was 5.20 times higher, but under the age of 30 years, the chance of illness anxiety disorder in single people was 0.91. CONCLUSION: COVID‐19 pandemic, also to the physical effects, may have psychological implications for people. Therefore, reducing the individual and social activities in terms of this disease, along with measures related to physical problems, diagnosis, timely treatment and proper psychological consequences, including illness anxiety disorder can be very fruitful.