Spiritual-Cultural Needs as the Main Causative Factor of Death Anxiety in Iranian COVID-19 Patients: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

COVID-19 patients have been reported to more than likely experience a variety of difficult physical and psychological problems. This qualitative study aims to perceive psychological experiences in COVID-19 patients in Iran. The study method is qualitative, with a conventional content analysis approach adopted. Purposive sampling was applied to 20 COVID-19 patients admitted to medical wards at hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Additionally, data were collected using semi-structured interviews. All data were analyzed based on the method proposed by Lindgren et al. (Int J Nurs Stud 108:103632, 2020). Data analysis identified the main theme to be “death fear and anxiety” with five main categories. These categories included the feelings of death panic and apprehension, uncertainty and ambiguity, fear of abandonment, fear of an unknown future for the family, and fear of unmet spiritual–cultural needs. Accordingly, the patients’ experiences of COVID-19 contraction were unique. Against this backdrop, understanding COVID-19 patients’ complexities, experiences, beliefs, and attitudes about anxiety and death, can lead to an improved awareness and understanding of the psychological consequences of COVID-19 by executive decision-makers, healthcare personnel and mental health professionals.