• Joohee Lee, Inn-Kyu Cho, Dongin Lee, Kyumin Kim, Myung Hee Ahn, and Seockhoon Chung.
• Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2022 May 30; 37 (21): e157.

BackgroundThis study explores whether the intolerance of uncertainty among healthcare workers prompts viral anxiety, and whether this association is mediated by their reassurance-seeking behavior and preoccupation with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Korea.MethodsAn online survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Asan Medical Center, on November 29, 2021. Demographic characteristics and responses to items from rating scales were collected, including Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9, Coronavirus Reassurance-Seeking Behaviors Scale (CRBS), Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Insomnia Severity Scale, and Intolerance of Uncertainty-12 (IUS-12).ResultsAmong the 329 participants, viral anxiety of healthcare workers was predicted by being female (β = 0.14, P = 0.002), CRBS (β = 0.30, P < 0.001), OCS (β = 0.32, P < 0.001), and IUS-12 (β = 0.15, P = 0.002) scores (adjusted R² = 0.43, F = 31.1, P < 0.001). Mediation analysis showed that the intolerance of uncertainty directly influenced viral anxiety, and reassurance-seeking behavior and obsession with COVID-19 partially mediated the association.ConclusionThe intolerance of uncertainty among healthcare workers directly influenced their viral anxiety, and reassurance-seeking behavior and obsession with COVID-19 mediated this association in this era of "living with coronavirus" in Korea.© 2022 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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