The Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19 and Quality of Life in Physiotherapists

Objective: This study was planned to evaluate the relationship between Physiotherapists’ fear of COVID-19 and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Physiotherapists aged between 18-65 years, working in any institution (private or public), were included in the study. The questionnaires were combined into a form on Google forms and sent to the participants via e-mail and they were asked to fill out the questionnaires. After first filling out their demographic information, they completed the COVID-19 Fear Scale to assess their COVID-19 fear level. The Nottingham Health Profile was used to assess health-related quality of life. Results: It was observed that the mean total score of the cases from the COVID-19 Fear Scale was 17.19±5.38, while the average total score of the Nottingham Health Profile was 80.14±82.57, obtained from 416 physiotherapists. In our study, the fear of COVID-19 was lower in physiotherapists who had the disease. While there was a significant relationship between fear of COVID-19 and Nottingham Health Profile energy level, emotional reaction, social isolation and sleep sub-dimensions and total score, no significant relationship was found in other sub-dimensions. Conclusions: As a result of our study, it was determined that Physiotherapists’ fear of COVID-19 was moderate level, and it was observed that their fear was related to quality of life.