A Psychometric Examination of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and the Fear of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Scale in the Italian Population

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has caused not only significant physical health problems but also mental health disorders. Anxiety and fear appear to be the main psychological symptoms associated with COVID-19. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anxiety and fear related to COVID-19 are influenced by sociodemographics and whether specific conditions, such as positivity for COVID-19 or death among relatives and friends, can further enhance these symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, 697 Italians responded to an online survey assessing sociodemographic information, the presence/absence of positive cases, or deaths due to COVID-19 among relatives or acquaintances. The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCS-19S) were administered in order to assess the levels of anxiety and fear associated with COVID-19. The data were collected in November 2020. Anxiety and fear scores were positively correlated. Both male and female subjects with higher CAS scores also displayed higher FCS-19S scores. The CAS and FCS-19S scores tended to increase with age, with older subjects exhibiting higher scores than younger subjects. Additionally, respondents with lower educational levels demonstrated higher scores on both the CAS and FCS-19S. Similarly, respondents living with older people and/or experiencing the death of one or more relatives due to COVID-19 exhibited corresponding outcomes. This study demonstrates how the levels of anxiety and fear, measured by CAS and FCS-19S associated with COVID-19, are influenced by gender, age, cohabitation status, educational levels, and the presence of positive cases or deaths due to COVID-19.

Gender and COVID-19 related fear and anxiety: A meta-analysis

“…Many studies reported higher fear of COVID-19 and threat perception in females ( Nguyen et al, 2020 ; Reznik et al, 2020; Sakib et al, 2020 ). Similar results were obtained in studies for COVID-19 anxiety ( Akyildiz and Durna, 2021 ; Bhattacharya et al, 2021 ; Orrù et al, 2021 ). On the other hand, some studies showed that males have higher COVID-19 anxiety levels ( Ashoor et al, 2021 ; Curtis et al, 2021 ; Saravanan et al, 2020 ; Srivastava et al, 2020 ).…”

“…In most studies conducted in North America, females had higher levels of COVID-19 related fear and anxiety than males (Camacho et al, 2020; Grande and Doyle-Baker, 2021 ; García-Reyna et al, 2021 ; Gélinas et al, 2021 ; Landa-Blanco et al, 2021 ; Lee et al, 2020 ; Pérez-Fuentes et al, 2020 ; Ojalehto et al, 2021 ). In addition, studies conducted in Europe, female's COVID-19 related fear and anxiety levels were higher ( Bakioğlu et al, 2020 ; Kaçoğlu et al, 2021 ; Morales-Rodríguez, 2021 ; Orrù et al, 2021 ; Tsipropoulou et al, 2020 ; Ypsilanti et al, 2021 ). On the other hand, some studies conducted in Middle East countries showed that males had higher levels of COVID-19 related fear and anxiety than females ( Abdelgwad and Abdelaziz, 2021 ; Alnazly et al, 2021 ; Ashoor et al, 2021 ; Ghaderi et al, 2021 ; Saravanan et al, 2020 ).…”

Fear of COVID-19 in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

“…Since COVID-19 and the highest mortality and complication rate were found in elderly subjects during the outbreak, it is not surprising that older CV patients are more likely to be psychologically affected, as reported in several general populations [23][24][25][26][27]. However, some studies reported lower levels of COVID-19 fear in older subjects than in young to middle-aged adults [21].…”

A Predictive Model of Pandemic Disaster Fear Caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19): Implications for Decision-Makers

“…The coronavirus pandemic, which quickly crossed the borders of all countries, brought dramatic changes to people’s lives in various ways and affected all age groups. Although physical symptoms of the disease were a priority in the treatment of patients with coronavirus disease, the disease also caused significant mental problems [ 1 ], of which a significant increase in fear [ 2 ] associated with greater depression, stress and anxiety dominated [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]; these experiences were especially on the rise in the first months of the pandemic [ 6 ]. The possibility of accentuating already existing psychological influences due to new waves of coronavirus disease generates significant challenges and requirements for mental health professionals.…”