Sex Differences between Medical Students in the Assessment of the Fear of COVID-19

Background: Differing expressions of the fear of COVID-19 between men and women can potentially increase both immediate and long-term physical health risks. We predicted that women students would express greater fear of COVID-19. Methods: We used an Internet-delivered Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to assess fear among men (n = 100) and women (n = 272) from a larger population of academic medical center members (n = 1761). Sex differences in emotional and physical symptoms were assessed as subcategories within fear scores. Results: Women reported greater fear of COVID-19 than men (p < 0.001). Women reported greater emotional fear (p < 0.001) on specific scale items (thinking of COVID-19, watching news stories about COVID-19, and losing sleep due to fear of contracting COVID-19). Discussion/Conclusions: These results provide a better understanding of how fear of COVID-19 can differ based on sex and how that fear may be expressed differently through emotional and physical symptoms. This information will inform academic health centers of COVID-19 prevention and management policies that may include a gender-specific focus.