THE LEVEL OF ANXIETY CAUSED BY THE EMERGING COVID-19 VIRUS AND ITS RELATION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL COPING STRATEGIES FOR GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTORS´ EMPLOYEES IN THE SULTANATE
This quantitative study discussed the level of anxiety and its relation to psychological coping strategies with Corona pandemic for government and private sectors´ employees in the Sultanate. The problem lies in the employees' return to work in their workplaces in light of the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, according to the decision of the Supreme Committee in the Sultanate, and the anxiety that may result from this decision among the employees. The study aimed to reveal the level of anxiety caused by the emerging Covid-19 virus and its relation to psychological coping strategies for government and private sectors´ employees in the Sultanate. The study was applied to a sample of (584) employees chosen by a simple random method. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers used the descriptive analytical approach, through conducting a questionnaire as a study tool. The results showed that the level of anxiety among employees in both sectors was high. Moreover, the analysis revealed that the employees used coping strategies to control anxiety caused by the pandemic in different levels, varying between significant and medium. The extent of use of these strategies was respectively as follows: religious dimension, and confrontation and problem-solving strategies (significantly), help and support strategy (largely), and escape strategy (medium). The results also showed that there is a statistically positive correlation between anxiety and all coping strategies, except for the confrontation and problem-solving strategy.
Keywords: Anxiety, Coping Strategies, Emerging Covid-19 Virus, Government Sector, Private Sector.