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The Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Development and Initial Validation
Daniel Kwasi Ahorsu1, Chung-Ying Lin1, Vida Imani2
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
|April 1, 2020
Summary
The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a new 7-item tool to measure pandemic-related anxiety. This reliable and valid scale helps assess and alleviate public fear of COVID-19.
Area of Science:
- Psychometrics
- Mental Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread fear and anxiety globally.
- Clinical efforts to manage COVID-19 require tools to assess psychological impact.
- The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) was developed to measure this fear.
Observation:
- The FCV-19S was developed using input from 717 Iranian participants, expert reviews, and interviews.
- Psychometric testing confirmed the scale's reliability and validity.
- A seven-item version demonstrated strong psychometric properties.
Findings:
- The scale showed acceptable corrected item-total correlations (0.47-0.56) and factor loadings (0.66-0.74).
- Internal consistency (α = .82) and test-retest reliability (ICC = .72) were satisfactory.
- Concurrent validity was supported by correlations with anxiety, depression, perceived vulnerability, and germ aversion scales.
Implications:
- The seven-item FCV-19S is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing fear of COVID-19.
- The scale can be used in the general population to monitor and address pandemic-related psychological distress.
- It serves as a valuable tool for clinical and public health interventions aimed at reducing COVID-19 fear.
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