The Relationship of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Fear and Anxiety with Smoking and Caffeinated Beverage Consumption in Young People

Background: Young people, especially in their developmentally sensitive periods, are highly vulnerable to the impact of constant stressors, so their mental health needs special attention during and after the pandemic. Young people who experience anxiety and fear due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and who are exposed to many different stressors can resort to ineffective coping methods in the face of these problems.

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship of coronavirus disease 2019 fear and anxiety with smoking and caffeinated beverage consumption in young people.

Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional research was conducted on 551 young people. As data collection tools, “Personal Information Form, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Anxiety Scale, and Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fear Scale” were used. In the evaluation of the data obtained in the study, besides descriptive statistics (percentage, frequency, mean, SD, minimum, and maximum), t-test and analysis of variance test were used in independent groups.

Results: Young people smoked (8.1%) and consumed caffeinated beverages (31.8) more than normal during the pandemic period and The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale mean score was 11.50 ± 3.02 and the mean score of The Fear of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Scale was 18.32 ± 6.43 of them. It was determined that the young people who smoked had lower coronavirus anxiety and fear. It was found that the young people who stated that they smoked more before the pandemic had lower coronavirus anxiety and higher coronavirus fears. It was found that young people who smoked 16 or more cigarettes a day had lower anxiety and fears about coronavirus than young people who smoked <16 cigarettes. It was determined that the young people, who stated that there was an increase in the consumption of caffeinated beverages compared to the pre-pandemic period, had higher coronavirus anxiety and fears.

Conclusion: As a result, it has been observed that the high coronavirus disease 2019 anxiety and fear of young people had a negative impact on their consumption of cigarettes and caffeine. For this reason, it is recommended to support young people with training for this anxiety and fear they experience and to carry out studies to prevent young people from smoking and caffeine addiction.