The Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 items (SAVE-6): A new instrument for assessing anxiety response to viral epidemics in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have reported experiencing anxiety in response to the viral epidemic. This study aimed to explore the validity and usefulness of the Stress and Anxiety to the Viral Epidemic-6 items (SAVE-6) scale for measuring the anxiety response to the viral epidemic of the general population. A total of 1,009 respondents participated in an online survey, and 501 (49.7%) participants were rated as having at least a mild degree of anxiety response to the viral epidemic (SAVE-6 score ≥ 15), whereas 90 (8.9%) and 91 (9.0%) were rated as having depression and anxiety, respectively. The SAVE-6 scales showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .82). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure for the measure. Goodness-of-fit indices (χ2/df ratio = 19.1, CFI = .92; TLI = .86; SRMR = 0.05; RMSEA = .13) were adequate. The SAVE-6 was found to be a reliable, valid, and useful brief measure that can be applied to the general population. The SAVE-6 may be useful for easily assessing the anxiety symptoms during the pandemic in the general population.