Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an enormous psychological impact, arousing emotions of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Objective: Our study aimed to investigate the predictors of fear of COVID19 in the Chilean population, replicating the study by Mertens et al. (2020). Methods: An online survey was conducted with 276 participants over 18 years of age residing in Chile. Fear of COVID-19, intolerance to uncertainty, worry, health anxiety, media exposure, general health, risk control, and risk to loved ones were assessed as possible predictors. Results: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and perceived risk to loved ones were associated with increased fear of COVID-19, while media exposure (other sources) and general health were associated with decreased fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to promote measures that improve risk communication based on reliable and truthful information to reduce uncertainty and the mental health impact of the pandemic.