Examining Fear of COVID-19 as a Predictor of Mental Health Outcomes and Healthcare Avoidance Among Adults in Ogun State, South West Nigeria

The COVID-19 pandemic generated both direct health threats and secondary psychological consequences including pandemic-specific fear with implications for mental health and health service utilisation. In post-pandemic Nigeria, the lasting psychological effects of COVID-19 fear on mental health outcomes and healthcare avoidance behaviour among adults in South West states have not been analytically examined. This study examines fear of COVID-19 as a predictor of anxiety, depression, and healthcare avoidance among adults in Ogun State. A cross-sectional analytical survey is applied to 300 adults aged 18 to 65 years recruited through community multi-stage sampling from Abeokuta and Sagamu. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the GAD-7, the PHQ-9, and a Healthcare Avoidance Questionnaire are administered alongside a demographic questionnaire. Multiple regression and path analysis in SPSS and AMOS examine direct and indirect COVID-19 fear effects. Literature from South West Nigerian pandemic psychology identifies health anxiety, misinformation exposure, and prior health vulnerability as the key amplifiers of COVID-19 fear, with healthcare avoidance having significant downstream consequences for chronic disease management. The Health Anxiety Model and the Extended Parallel Process Model provide the theoretical framework. This study fills an empirical gap in the post-pandemic mental health literature from Nigeria. Findings will inform health communication and psychological recovery programmes in Ogun State. Keywords: COVID-19 fear, mental health, healthcare avoidance, adults, Ogun State.