Abstract
This study examined the validity and applicability of the Spanish version of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 items (SAVE-6) scale, which can be usually applied to the general population, to healthcare workers to briefly measure their anxiety responses to the viral epidemic. A total of 135 healthcare workers participated in this online survey from January to July 2021. Participants' sociodemographic characteristics were gathered, and their psychiatric symptoms were rated using SAVE-6, Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GDAS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the validity of the scales. The single-structure model of the SAVE-6 scale was adopted based on the results of the parallel analysis. We decided on the SAVE-6 scale, as it proved to be a good fit to measure healthcare workers' anxiety response to the viral epidemic. SAVE-6 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.827 and McDonald's omega = 0.834) and good convergent validity with Goldberg anxiety (r = 0.434, p < 0.001) and depression (r = 0.193, p = 0.043) scores, and PSQI score (r = 0.262, p = 0.002). The Spanish version of SAVE-6 is a reliable and valid rating scale to assess the anxiety response of healthcare workers specifically to the viral epidemic as a brief measure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a challenging situation worldwide with a major health impact on vulnerable populations and populations with high risk for COVID-19 infection, such as healthcare workers
We found that the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 items (SAVE-6) scale, derived from the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9 items (SAVE-9) scale for the general population, can be a reliable and valid rating scale for measuring the viral anxiety of healthcare workers, in response to the viral epidemic
In this sample of Spanish healthcare workers, we observed that the SAVE-6 scale, a rating scale used to assess the anxiety response of the general population [17,18,19], can be applied to measure the anxiety response of healthcare workers, to the viral epidemic
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a challenging situation worldwide with a major health impact on vulnerable populations and populations with high risk for COVID-19 infection, such as healthcare workers. Socio-economic factors such as an aging population, reduced healthcare investment, fewer beds in intensive care compared to other countries of Europe, and even cultural factors may have played a role in the development of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain [3]. Healthcare workers in this pandemic suffer from psychological problems such as severe work-related stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress [4,5,6]. The rate of acute mental health symptoms is a cause of concern due to the potential short and long-term work, personal, and social impact
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