TOKYO: Some 80 percent of respondents in a survey in Japan have said that they felt stress due to the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The results from the survey by a University of Tsukuba research team are believed to reflect fears of respondents themselves and their family members being infected with the virus and impediments to everyday life caused by the trend to stay home amid the epidemic.

The outcomes are part of an interim report for the online survey, which started on Aug. 4. Around 7,000 responses were collected by Aug. 10.

The survey showed that 38.3 percent and 41.8 percent felt stress “very much” and “somewhat,” respectively, in the last month due to the epidemic.

“Only about 50 percent feel stress in normal times, so this is pretty high,” Hirokazu Tachikawa, professor of the university and head of the research team, said.

On the question about what respondents have experienced since infections began spreading in February, with multiple answers allowed, the most common response, cited by 2,635 people, was that they themselves faced risks of infections, followed by impediments to work or school activities due to trends to stay home, chosen by 2,256, and infection risks for family members, selected by 2,184.

Meanwhile, the fourth common response, cited by 2,078 people, was that they were able to review their lifestyles, a positive spin on the epidemic.

Many respondents said that they coped with staying home amid the outbreak by trying to enjoy what they can do at home, get sufficient sleep and acquire accurate information about the coronavirus.

The team will continue its research and analyze the connection between the coronavirus epidemic and post-traumatic stress disorder.

JIJI Press