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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2021

I. Barrios Open the ORCID record for I. Barrios [Opens in a new window] ,
C. Ríos-González ,
M. O’Higgins Open the ORCID record for M. O’Higgins [Opens in a new window] ,
I. González-Urbieta ,
O. García ,
J. Almirón-Santacruz ,
R. Navarro ,
O. Melgarejo ,
N. Ruiz Díaz  and
J. M. Castaldelli-Maia Open the ORCID record for J. M. Castaldelli-Maia [Opens in a new window]
...Show all authors
I. Barrios
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
C. Ríos-González
Affiliation:
Research Department, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Caaguazú, Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay National Health Institute, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Asunción, Paraguay
M. O’Higgins
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
I. González-Urbieta
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
O. García
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
J. Almirón-Santacruz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
R. Navarro
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
O. Melgarejo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
N. Ruiz Díaz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
J. M. Castaldelli-Maia
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Medical School, Fundação do ABC, Santo André, SP, Brazil Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
A. Ventriglio
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
J. Torales*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, National University of Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay Department of Social Anthropology, School of Medical Sciences (Santa Rosa Campus), National University of Asunción, Santa Rosa, Paraguay
*
*Address for correspondence: Professer J. Torales, National University of Asunción, Department of Psychiatry, Avda. Mariscal López esquina Coronel Cazal, UNA Campus, San Lorenzo, Paraguay. (Email: jtorales@med.una.py)
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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 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.

Keywords

COVID-19fear of COVID-19 scalepsychometricsreliabilityvalidity
Type
Short Report
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 38 , Issue 4 , December 2021 , pp. 266 - 271
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland

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