Abstract

This study examined the temporal changes in fear and anxiety related to COVID-19 infection and investigated which demographic variables were expected to influence latetnc class classification. Additionally, investigated perceived stress, non-dailiness experiences, distrust of others due to COVID-19, and differences in life satisfaction among these groups. To achieve this, we conducted five rounds of online surveys from April 2020 to February 2022 with a sample of 600 adults, and performed Latent Profile Analysis (LPA). The analysis revealed a model with four groups (Stable (Group 1), Low Anxiety (Group 2), High Anxiety (Group 3), Unstable (Group 4)) as the most fitting. Furthermore, demographic variables influencing the classification of fear and anxiety latent groups were identified. Women were more likely to belong to the High Anxiety and Unstable groups, while older age correlated with higher likelihood of belonging to the Stable and High Anxiety groups. Having children and cohabitating with older adults also increased the likelihood of belonging to the High Anxiety and Unstable groups. Lastly, differences between groups in variable analysis showed that the High Anxiety and Unstable groups exhibited higher levels of perceived stress and distrust of others with the Unstable group experiencing more non-routine experiences compared to the High Anxiety group. The Stable group demonstrated the highest level of life satisfaction. Based on these study findings, implications and discussion points were presented.