Abstract
BackgroundThe advent of COVID-19 worldwide has led to consequences for people’s health, both physical and psychological, such as fear and anxiety. This is the case in Italy, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. Given the heightened fear concerning COVID-19 in Italy., the present study analyzed the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S).MethodsThe sample comprised 250 Italian participants who were administered Italian versions of the FCV-19S, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Severity Measure for Specific Phobia–Adult (SMSP-A). Several psychometric tests were performed to investigate the validity and reliability of the test including confirmatory factor analysis.ResultsAnalysis of the data showed satisfactory psychometric characteristics and confirmed the scale’s unidimensional properties. The seven FCV-19S items had acceptable correlations with the test total (from .443 to .784). Furthermore, the loadings on the factor were significant and strong (from .684 to .897). The internal consistency was very good (α = .871). Construct validity for the FCV-19S was supported by significant and positive correlations with the HADS (r=.649) and SMSP-A (r=.703).ConclusionsThe Italian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale is valid and reliable in assessing fear of COVID-19 among the general Italian population.
Highlights
Background The advent of COVID19 worldwide has led to consequences for people’s health, both physical and psychological, such as fear and anxiety
The results showed the following: χ2 = 26.07, p = .011 with χ2/df = 2.16, the ratio of χ2 to degrees of freedom [df] < 3 to consider the data-model fit as acceptable (Kline 2011); chi-square test is very sensitive to the size of the sample, so several indices were used (Kline 2016), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 99, Confirmatory Fit Index (CFI) = 99, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.069 (90% confidence interval, lower limit 0.032, upper limit 0.105, p = .173, i.e., not significant for p = .01) and SRMR = 0.047 (Hu and Bentler 1999)
The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the Italian Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S)
Summary
19 worldwide has led to consequences for people’s health, both physical and psychological, such as fear and anxiety. This is the case in Italy, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. Given the heightened fear concerning COVID-19 in Italy., the present study analyzed the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Milan, Italy 3 Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Torino – UNITO, Turin, Italy 4 ASP - CSM SUD, Reggio Calabria, Italy 5 Facoltà di Scienze Sociali, Pontificia Università San Tommaso, Rome, Italy 6 International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, 50. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
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