Psychometric Properties of the Greek Version of FCV-19S

Frontiers in Public Health

Validation of the fear of introductionHigh levels of fear of COVID-19 may be associated with increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as decreased resilience and life expectancy.ObjectiveThis study aimed to translate and confirm the Serbian version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale as well as to investigate its psychometric properties.MethodsThe translation and intercultural adaptation of the Fear of COVID-19 scale was performed by the leading standard of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcome Research. When the distribution was normal, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used. The reliability of the Serbian version of FCV-19S was tested by measuring the internal consistency through the value of Cronbach's alpha.ResultsThe original version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale was tested on a sample of 256 subjects with a mean age of 25.38 ± 12.47. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.864. We divided the scale by the split-half method (Spearman-Brown), a...

Sustainability

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to people’s lives, causing high levels of anxiety, distress, and fear. In response, the “Fear of COVID-19” scale (FCV-19S) was developed in 2020 to measure the severity of fears related to COVID-19. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Czech version of the FCV-19S, which was administered to a representative sample of 1372 participants, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted. The sample reflects the structure of a theoretical population aged 15–74 years and is composed of 50% males and 50% females. Moreover, univariate statistics were calculated, internal consistency was tested, and uni-dimensionality based on principal component analysis was performed. In addition, univariate statistical analyses were performed, internal consistency was tested, and univariate consistency was also assessed using principal component analysis. CFA indicated that the scale demonstrated very good standard indices; FCV-1...

Jurnal Keperawatan

Introduction: the context of the study The new coronavirus COVID-19 is a pandemic disease that currently attacks all countries, including Indonesia, where the number of people who have died in 7.169 cases and those confirmed positive are 165.887 cases. The increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has heightened the anxiety and fear experienced by everyone. Objectives: The main objective of this study is to analyze the psychometric properties of the Indonesian translation version of the COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) using a sample population in Indonesia. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional instrumental study. The method in this study uses the convenience sampling method. Results: This result showed good internal consistency with the value of Cronbach’s alpha was 0.87. Conclusion: This study indicated good internal consistency. Future research is to evaluate the correlation between other variables. This study could be applied to the Indonesian population to screen fear o...

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

The emergence and development of the COVID-19 pandemic is having a toll on the mental health of the general population, and healthcare workers around the world, often manifested in depression, fear, stress, trauma, and anxiety (Ahorsu et al. 2020; Mamun and Ullah 2020; Lee et al, 2020). Various scales have been developed during the pandemic to measure these effects (Ransing et al. 2020). Fear during the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with serious mental health consequences, such as passive suicidal ideation, alcohol and substance use, and extreme hopelessness (Mamun and Ullah 2020). Hence, a timely and accurate assessment of COVID-19-related fear is relevant for clinicians. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a 7-item scale that assesses the severity of COVID-19-related fear (Ahorsu et al. 2020). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale: 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), with higher scores indicating a greater fear of COVID-19 (Ahorsu et al. 2020). The tool was developed in Persian language, and its initial validation was conducted in a sample of Iranian adults drawn from the general population. Following the initial validation, several studies have examined the psychometric properties of the scale across different populations and in different languages (Ransing et al. 2020). In this letter, we provide an overview of the available literature on the utility and psychometric properties of the FCV-19S. We searched PubMed using the keywords "COVID-19" or "SARS-CoV-2" or "Coronavirus disease" and "Fear Scale" or "FCV-19S" or "Fear of COVID-19 Scale" till 30 August 2020. We found 19 studies assessing the reliability and/or validity of the FCV-19S. The full texts for each article were retrieved and data extracted regarding sample size, mean age, language, country, and scale reliability and validity. A summary of the included studies is presented in Table 1. The FCV-19S has been translated into 14 languages and validated across 20 different countries (Pakpour et al, 2020). Three studies, including the initial validation study, were conducted in the Middle East, six in Asia, six in Europe, and one each in the USA, New Zealand, Cuba, and Peru. Most of the studies (n = 18) validated the FCV-19S with adult populations, with one study being conducted among adolescents. The Cronbach's alpha values across the different studies ranged from 0.81 to 0.93 indicating high reliability of the FCV-19S. Twelve studies investigated the criterion validity (either discriminant or convergent) of the FCV-19S. Similarly to the original validation (Ahorsu et al. 2020), Soraci et al. and Alyami et al. examined the validity of the FCV-19S against the HADS among Italian and Saudi Arabian adults,

Fear is a common emotional reaction to an impending threat like the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. A fear of COVID-19 Scale has been developed to evaluate the severity of COVID-19-related fear. This study investigated the psychometric characteristics a Syrian Arabic version of the scale to give additional validation for the Arabic FCV-19S. The fear of COVID-19 Scale was translated and validated in Syrian context. The sample is comprised of 1637 Syrian individuals, who have participated in this online survey. The results were compared with their responses to the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale and the Satisfaction with Life scale. Cronbach’s alpha for the Syrian version of the fear of COVID-19 scale was determined to 0.84. The scale’s ratings showed a significant negative relationship with life satisfaction and a significant positive association with sub-scales of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Syrian version of t...

Mathematics, 2021

Fear of the coronavirus has important implications on mental health. In western countries, a significant degree of vaccination has been achieved, but in Spain, less than 75% of the population has received both doses. The current situation is still seen as a threat by many people. Therefore, it is important to have reliable and valid measurement instruments to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the population. In this study, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale has been adapted to Spain, and its psychometric properties have been studied in a Spanish sample using Structural Equation Modeling. This methodology allows obtaining more reliable estimates, regardless of the measurement scale of the variables. The unifactorial structure was confirmed. The correlations with Neuroticism were statistically significant, and the concurrent validity structural equation model yielded good fit indices. However, neither age nor belonging to a risk group directly predict fear of the coronavirus in this sample, but gender and neuroticism are direct predictors. Likewise, neuroticism mediates the relationship between age and fear of COVID-19, and between gender and fear of COVID-19. So being young and being a woman show high scores on neuroticism, leading to their most intense fear of COVID-19. With this reliable and valid measurement instrument, it will be possible to assess the degree of fear of the coronavirus in the Spanish population and improve psychological interventions.

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

Background The advent of COVID-19 worldwide has led to consequences for people's health, both physical and psychological, such as fear and anxiety. This is the case in Italy, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. Given the heightened fear concerning COVID-19 in Italy., the present study analyzed the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S).

2021

ObjectivesThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and mitigation measures based on social distancing are expected to have serious adverse effects on mental health. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine self-reported changes in the mental health status of Greek adults.Study designThe current study is a primary research conducted on Greek adults during the first wave of the epidemic (March to April 2020).MethodsA total of 527 individuals participated in an online survey using a validated questionnaire (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-STAI and DASS-21).ResultsThe respondents had a moderate mental health status based on the following scores: STAI-S, 45.8; STAI-T, 40.7; depression, 4.6; anxiety, 3.1; and stress, 6.1. Women, younger respondents, those from lower income households, and those living in smaller apartments experienced increased depression, anxiety, and stress. Additionally, infection control practices during the COVID-19 pandemic such as the use of masks, gloves,...

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 2022

The FCV-19S was the first instrument designed to assess the severity of fear related to COVID-19 and has already been validated in many languages. The objective of this study was to evaluate the homogeneity and construct validity of the 5-item version of the FCV19S, using an online questionnaire in 599 people. The participants’ age ranged from 18 to 65 years. Age, gender, marital status, educational level, employment status, and socioeconomic status were analyzed. In the evaluation process we assessed interitem correlation, item rest-correlation, confirmatory factor analysis: Root Mean Square Error of Approximation, Comparative Fix Index, Tucker-Lewis Index; internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega), and the Rasch model was assessed for learning more about the psychometric properties of the scale, which allows a detailed knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of a scale. The FCV-5S has adequate psychometric indicators from the perspective of the Classical Theory o...

Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2021

Objective:The aim of this study is to test the psychometric properties of the Spanish validation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in a Paraguayan population.Methods:Participants were recruited through an Internet-based survey. All participants whose scores in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and The Fear Questionnaire (FQ) were greater than zero were included. 1245 subjects responded voluntarily: 1077 subjects, scoring >0, were considered.Results:To establish construct validity of the FCV-19S, an exploratory factor analysis was performed using the KMO test, which was adequate, and the Bartlett sphericity test, which was significant (p <.0001). The CFI, NFI, GFI, TLI and RMSEA indices were used to evaluate the model and showed good adjustment. Cronbach’s α showed valid internal consistency (α = 0.86). This validation was supported by significant correlation (p <.001) with the HADS scale for anxiety and depression and with the FQ scale for specific phobia.Conclusions:The Spanish version of the FCV-19S is a 7-item scale with two dimensions, psychological symptoms and physiological symptoms, which demonstrated robust psychometric properties in a Paraguayan population.

Death Studies

The aim of the current study is to validate the Turkish version of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). Participants were assessed across the CAS, Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) and Fear of COVID-19 Scale. We surveyed 1023 Turkish native speakers who participated online. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the factor structure of the CAS was satisfactory. The scale was internally consistent with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. Positive correlations of the CAS with the OCS and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale demonstrated adequate convergent validity. These findings suggest that the CAS is a valid and reliable measure to assess the severity of dysfunctional coronavirus related anxiety.

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

The current pandemic of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has increased the anxiety and fear experienced by many. The main objective of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish-translated version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) using a sample of population in Peru. This is a cross-sectional instrumental study. Data were collected by a convenience sampling method, resulting in a total of 832 participants, and the collection took place over 1 week, April 17-23, 2020. The original version of the FCV-19S was translated from English into Spanish. The results support a bifactor model consisting of one general factor and two specific factors-one of emotional fear reactions and another of somatic expressions of fear of COVID-19 (CFI = 0.988, RMSEA = 0.075). Invariance between healthcare workers and age groups was reached (ΔCFI < 0.01), but the invariance between men and women was not met (ΔCFI = 0.02). Convergent validity was found with depressive, anxious, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. The general factor of the fear of COVID-19 and two specific factors had an optimal level of internal consistency (ω > 0.89 and α > 0.83). The study found the Spanish-translated version of the FCV-19S has good psychometric properties and presents evidence of validity and reliability.

BJPsych Open

Background SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly spread worldwide, threatening public health and financial and social life. Aims The current study&#39;s aim was to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the Greek population during the first COVID-19 lockdown, and to detect potential correlates. Method An anonymous online survey was conducted between 10 April and 4 May 2020, to collect information regarding people&#39;s psychological functioning and COVID-19-related perceptions. Results A total of 1443 individuals completed the survey; 293 (20%) reported clinically significant anxiety symptoms, 188 (12.9%) reported clinically significant depressive symptoms and 506 (36.4%) suffered from definite post-traumatic stress disorder. Anxiety symptoms were independently associated with female gender (β = 1.281, 95% CI 0.808–1.755, P &lt; 0.001), educational level (β = −1.570, 95% CI −2.546 to −0.595, P = 0.002), perceived severity (β = −1.745, 95% CI −3.146...

2021

Context and objective: Current context caused by COVID-19 has changed social and day-to-day life worldwide. Mental health is no exception. The objective of this study was to adapt and analyze the psychometric properties of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in a sample of Peruvian professionals. Material and methods. The sample was composed of 169 participants of a longitudinal study about burnout during the pandemic in Peru. Translation-back translation method was performed (from English to Spanish). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted. Additionally, reliability analyses (Cronbach’s Alpha, McDonald’s Omega and Test-retest) and correlations with other variables were carried out. Results: Results confirm the one-dimensional nature of the instrument (CFA) with excellent indicators of goodness of fit (CFI = .996; TLI = .99; RMSEA = .06; SRMR = .04) and present good levels of reliability (α = .79; ω = .81; ICC = .75). Furthermore, evidence for external validity was found ...

Revista Evaluar, 2023

The latest events in the lives of university students in Chile have been very stressful quarantines, online classes, and fear of contagion. It is imperative to have a solid instrument to measure the fear of Covid. This research aims to estimate the psychometric properties of the 'Fear of Covid-19 Scale (FCV-19S)' in a sample of 562 Chilean university students and to confirm its factorial structure. Confirmatory factorial analyses were performed and model parameters were estimated using the diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) method. The assessment of FCV-19S had satisfactory values (ω = .94; α = .93). The results showed that the two-correlated factor model best fit the data CFI = .993, TLI = .989, RMSEA = .053, SRMR = .049. These findings suggest that FCV-19S has the proper psychometric properties for its application to Chilean university students.