Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale in Paraguayan population

Abstract

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 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 alpha showed valid internal consistency (α=0.86). This validation is 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, validated in Paraguayan population, is a 7-item scale with two dimensions, psychological symptoms (items 1, 2, 4, and 5) and physiological symptoms (items 3, 6, and 7) with robust psychometric properties.

Adaptation and psychometric evaluation of Hungarian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale

“…Since its development, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale has been translated and adapted to several languages [ 13 , 14 , 31 – 50 ]. The initial study examined the validity against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale [ 30 ], similarly to the Portuguese [ 5 ], English [ 31 ], Italian [ 13 ], Arabic [ 46 ], Spanish [ 44 ] and Japanese [ 37 ] adaptations, while other studies confirmed the validity using various other measures of depression and anxiety [ 14 , 32 – 35 , 38 , 39 , 42 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 50 ]. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale has high reliability across translations and cultural adaptations [ 4 ].…”

“…There is debate whether the Fear of COVID-19 Scale has a stable single-factor structure [ 4 ] as reported in the initial study [ 30 ] and several adaptations [ 5 , 13 , 14 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 – 43 , 46 , 50 – 53 ] or if it is bi-factorial as reported in Paraguayan [ 44 ], Israeli [ 45 ], Chinese [ 47 ], Norwegian [ 49 ], Argentinian [ 33 ], Peruvian [ 35 ], Japanese [ 37 ] and Eastern European [ 54 ] populations. The two-factor models define a cognitive and somatic fear [ 49 ] or emotional and psychological [ 37 ] fear.…”

COVID-19 infodemic and depressive symptoms: The impact of the exposure to news about COVID-19 on the general Paraguayan population

“…Paraguayan population has coped with the dissemination of misleading information and false news even before the virus entered the country (March 2020), which generated a rapid collective reaction of neurosis with compulsive food-shopping, xenophobia, risky health care practices ( Moreno Fleitas, 2020 ), fear ( Barrios et al, 2021 ), and stress ( Torales, Ríos-González, et al, 2020 ).…”

Parallel Exploratory And Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Hungarian Fear Of Covid-19 Scale In A Large General Population Sample: A Psychometric And Dimensionality Evaluation

“…fear), preferably the item numbers should be balanced related to each dimension, particularly when more than one latent factor may be present. Compared to the huge number of construct dimensionality evaluation by one-factor CFA, only few completed two-factor CFA, even fewer reported the results of EFA (5,6,8,19).…”