DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h70rxwdgv
title: Fear of COVID-19 during confinement in Mauritius: a survey-based study

description: 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&lt;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&lt;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
description: <b>Participants</b> An anonymized online survey was
 carried out from the 29<sup>th</sup> April 2020 to the
 5<sup>th</sup> May 2020 during the period of confinement in
 Mauritius. This corresponded to day 43 and day 49 of introduction of
 COVID-19 in Mauritius. The survey used snowball sampling technique on
 electronic media with participants being accessed via WhatsApp mobile
 application and via email. Although it was not possible to obtain formal
 ethics clearance during the confinement period, the study was carried out
 with all ethical guidelines being observed. Participation was voluntary
 and anonymous. The aim of the study was to assess the self-rated level of
 fear in participants during confinement and with respect to confinement
 being lifted. In addition, the impact of local and international news
 coverage on the level of fear was also investigated.
 <b>Survey</b> Regarding the fear level,
 participants were asked to report this on a scale from 1 to 10 where no
 fear scored 1 and the highest fear level scored 10. The following 2 questions were
 used: 1. How do
 you rate your level of fear during confinement? 2. How do you feel about
 confinement being lifted? The scores were categorized as
 follows: normal fear level=1, low fear level=2-4, moderate fear level=5-7,
 high fear level=8-10. Regarding the impact of news on
 the level of fear, participants were asked to report the impact of news on
 their level of fear on a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 represented no impact
 and 10 represented high impact. The following 2 questions were
 used: 1. How does
 the worldwide news impact on your fear of COVID-19? 2. How does the local news impact
 on your fear of COVID-19? The scores were categorized as
 follows: no impact=1, low impact=2-4, moderate impact=5-7, high
 impact=8-10. Finally, participants were asked
 about how well informed they were about the COVID-19 disease on a scale of
 1 to 10. The
 following question was used: Do you believe people are well
 informed about COVID-19?
description: There are no missing values.