Abstract
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health crisis that has generated fear and negative psychological consequences. The present study evaluated the validity and factor structure of Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) among a sample from the general Indonesian population. The English version of the FCV-19S was translated and back-translated into Indonesian language, followed by a pilot study. Using convenience sampling method, a total of 728 participants completed an online survey distributed on various social media platforms. The survey included the FCV-19S, personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The Indonesian FCV-19S had very good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega) and composite reliability (alpha = 0.88, omega = .86, composite reliability = .87). Maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test construct validity (χ2/df = 2.51, CFI = .984, SRMR = .028, PCLOSE = .15 > .05, RMSEA = .06, 90% CI [.03, .09]). As for criterion-related validity, the FCV-19S score positively correlated with the score on PHQ-9, GAD-7, negative affect, and neuroticism and negatively correlated with extraversion. Negative affect was identified as the most important predictor of the fear of COVID-19. Personality traits also predicted the fear of COVID-19. The findings provide evidence that the FCV-19S is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing fear generated by COVID-19 among a healthy Indonesian-speaking population.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in both a physical and mental health crisis (Wang et al, 2020a)
Significant gender differences were found for anxiety (t [726] = 2.63, p = 0.01, Cohen’s d = 0.33, 95% [0.17, 0.49]), negative affect (t [726] = 2.75, p < 0.01, Cohen’s d = 0.37, 95% [0.21, 0.53]), and neuroticism (t [726] = 2.65, p < 0.01, Cohen’s d = 0.35, 95% [0.19, 0.51])
A one-way between-participants ANOVA was carried out to compare the effect of age on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), positive and negative affect, and neuroticism
Summary
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in both a physical and mental health crisis (Wang et al, 2020a). The pandemic has generated fear, anxiety, stress, and emotional exhaustion (Satici et al, 2020; Taylor et al, 2020; Arpaci et al, 2020). These negative psychosocial consequences, coupled with uncertainty, can potentially disrupt individual well-being and lead to maladaptive behaviors (Holmes et al, 2020; Li et al, 2020). While neuroticism positively predicts depression and anxiety, extraversion negatively affects them These personality traits can be potentially relevant for understanding maladaptive behaviors during stressful situations (Strickhouser et al, 2017). Neuroticism accompanied by unstable negative affective states can elevate anxiety, which is a predictor for suicide (Serafini et al, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
