scholarly journals The Fear of COVID-19 Familial Infection Scale: Initial Psychometric Examination

Author(s):  
Yael Mayer ◽  
Shir Etgar ◽  
Noga Shiffman ◽  
Ido Lurie

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has not only a physical health impact but also a psychological toll, which is associated with the social isolation and emotional contagion of fear and anxiety. One of the main factors which influence the increased levels of stress is the fear of COVID-19, and specifically the fear of being infected, and of transmitting the virus to one’s family and friends. In this study, a new measure named “The Fear of COVID-19 Familial Infection Scale” (FCFI) is suggested, and its psychometric properties are tested. Methods: A sample of 582 participants filled an online survey; of those, 393 (67.5%) were healthcare workers. Of the healthcare workers, 218 (37.5%) were medical doctors, 46 (7.9%) were nurses, and 117 (20.1%) were other healthcare professionals. Participants filled out a demographic questionnaire, The FCFI, the Fear of the COVID-19 scale, and the Depression and Anxiety Scale (DASS-21). Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the FCFI has two factors: Fear of infecting others, and Perception of Others’ fear of being infected by me. This bidimensional model accounts for 69.5% of the variance in the FCFI. The two subscales had good reliability and high convergence validity as indicated by its correlations with being exposed to COVID-19, fear of COVID-19 and the DASS-21 subscales. Conclusion: The FCFI has initial good psychometric properties and could be a useful tool to assess levels of fear of COVID-19 familial infection.

Author(s):  
Zhuang She ◽  
Dan Li ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Ningning Zhou ◽  
Juzhe Xi ◽  
...  

(1) Background: The COVID-19 outbreak has created pressure in people’s daily lives, further threatening public health. Thus, it is important to assess people’s perception of stress during COVID-19 for both research and practical purposes. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is one of the most widely used instruments to measure perceived stress; however, previous validation studies focused on specific populations, possibly limiting the generalization of results. (2) Methods: This study tested the psychometric properties of three versions of the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS-14, CPSS-10, and CPSS-4) in the Chinese general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. A commercial online survey was employed to construct a nationally representative sample of 1133 adults in Mainland China (548 males and 585 females) during a one-week period. (3) Results: The two-factor (positivity and negativity) solution for the three versions of the CPSS showed a good fit with the data. The CPSS-14 and CPSS-10 had very good reliability and the CPSS-4 showed acceptable reliability. Scores on all three versions of the CPSS were significantly correlated in the expected direction with health-related variables (e.g., depression, anxiety, and perceived COVID-19 risk), supporting the concurrent validity of the CPSS. (4) Conclusions: All three versions of the CPSS appear to be appropriate for use in research with samples of adults in the Chinese general population under the COVID-19 crisis. The CPSS-10 and CPSS-14 both have strong psychometric properties, but the CPSS-10 would have more utility because it is shorter than the CPSS-14. However, the CPSS-4 is an acceptable alternative when administration time is limited.


Author(s):  
Carolin Fischer ◽  
Annette Schröder ◽  
Joanne E. Taylor ◽  
Jens Heider

Abstract. Presently, there is no instrument to support the diagnosis of driving fear and its severity. To enable a reliable and valid diagnosis, the 5-item German-language Instrument for Fear of Driving (IFD) was developed. The items, by DSM-5 criteria for a specific phobia, measure the emotional, cognitive, and physiological components of driving fear as well as the degree of avoidance and impairment. The present paper comprises two studies that describe the development of the IFD and its psychometric properties. In Study 1, the IFD was administered to 810 non-clinical participants in an online survey and demonstrated good reliability and construct validity. In Study 2, fifty-four people with a clinical diagnosis, including clinically relevant driving fear, completed the IFD and a clinical interview. The IFD demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity, and a cut-off score resulted in 95% sensitivity and 97% specificity. While the findings are preliminary and further studies with larger samples are needed, the IFD is a promising screening instrument for driving fear and its severity.


2019 ◽  
pp. 102986491987198
Author(s):  
Hsin-Rui Lin ◽  
Reinhard Kopiez ◽  
Daniel Müllensiefen ◽  
Anna Wolf

This study presents the Chinese adaptation of the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI), an instrument for measuring individual differences in musical ability and skilled musical behaviour. Its psychometric properties were examined with a Taiwanese sample. The Gold-MSI inventory was translated into Chinese following recommendations from the literature on cross-cultural test development. Subsequently, the psychometric properties of the Chinese Gold-MSI self-report inventory, including the Melody Memory Task and the Beat Alignment Perception Task, were evaluated using an online survey with 1,065 participants. Results of confirmatory factor analysis suggest that the original factor structure of the Gold-MSI inventory showed an acceptable fit with the data from the Chinese-speaking sample. In addition, the Chinese Gold-MSI inventory shows good reliability. The Melody Memory Task and the Beat Alignment Perception Task also have sufficient test-retest reliability. Finally, correlations between the Chinese Gold-MSI inventory and the Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence subscale of the Eight Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire as well as the two additional music tests provide evidence for convergent and divergent validity. Overall, the data suggest that the Chinese Gold-MSI has good psychometric properties. Percentile norms for the Gold-MSI inventory and the music tests from the present sample are reported for use in future studies. The present study thus makes a valuable contribution to cross-cultural research in music psychology by enabling the comparison between Chinese and Western studies of individual differences in musical ability.


Author(s):  
Paula Cotrin ◽  
Wilana Moura ◽  
Caroline Martins Gambardela-Tkacz ◽  
Fernando Castilho Pelloso ◽  
Lander dos Santos ◽  
...  

Brazil is in a critical situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare workers that are in the front line face challenges with a shortage of personal protective equipment, high risk of contamination, low adherence to the social distancing measures by the population, low coronavirus testing with underestimation of cases, and also financial concerns due to the economic crisis in a developing country. This study compared the impact of COVID-19 pandemic among three categories of healthcare workers in Brazil: physicians, nurses, and dentists, about workload, income, protection, training, feelings, behavior, and level of concern and anxiety. The sample was randomly selected and a Google Forms questionnaire was sent by WhatsApp messenger. The survey comprised questions about jobs, income, workload, PPE, training for COVID-19 patient care, behavior and feelings during the pandemic. The number of jobs reduced for all healthcare workers in Brazil during the pandemic, but significantly more for dentists. The workload and income reduced to all healthcare workers. Most healthcare workers did not receive proper training for treating COVID-19 infected patients. Physicians and nurses were feeling more tired than usual. Most of the healthcare workers in all groups reported difficulties in sleeping during the pandemic. The healthcare workers reported a significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic in their income, workload and anxiety, with differences among physicians, nurses and dentists.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3907
Author(s):  
María Laura Parra-Fernández ◽  
Maria Manzaneque-Cañadillas ◽  
María Dolores Onieva-Zafra ◽  
Elia Fernández-Martínez ◽  
Juan José Fernández-Muñoz ◽  
...  

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) has been defined as an obsessive and pathological attitude towards healthy nutrition. The aim of this study was to compare individuals who followed a vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore diet in terms of ON behaviors and to examine their prime motivations, attitudes, and behaviors towards food. The Spanish version of the ORTO-15 test — ORTO-11-ES — and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ-SP) were used with a demographic questionnaire in an online survey disseminated among the social networks of different vegetarian associations and the general population. Of 466 individuals, 55% followed an omnivore diet, 23.5% were vegetarian and 21.7% were vegan. Results revealed relationships between type of diet and FCQ-SP dimensions for: health and natural content (H = 8.7, p < 0.05), sensory appeal (H = 11.4, p < 0.01), weight control (H = 40.4, p < 0.01), and familiarity (H = 37.3, p < 0.01). Our results confirm the findings of recent studies showing that individuals who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet are more likely to develop a pathological preoccupation with healthy eating versus omnivores. Further studies are required to determine the potential lines of action for the prevention of ON.


Author(s):  
Filipe Prazeres ◽  
Lígia Passos ◽  
José Augusto Simões ◽  
Pedro Simões ◽  
Carlos Martins ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of the general population, and for healthcare workers (HCWs) it has been no different. Religiosity and spirituality are known coping strategies for mental illnesses, especially in stressful times. This study aimed to describe the role of spiritual-religious coping regarding fear and anxiety in relation to COVID-19 in HCWs in Portugal. A cross-sectional quantitative online survey was performed. Socio-demographic and health data were collected as well as the Duke University Religion Index, Spirituality Scale, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Coronavirus Anxiety Scale. Two hundred and twenty-two HCWs participated in the study, 74.3% were female and 81.1% were physicians. The median age was 37 years (Q1, Q3: 31, 51.3). Religiosity was neither a significant factor for coronavirus-related anxiety nor it was for fear of COVID-19. Participants with higher levels in the hope/optimism dimension of the Spirituality Scale showed less coronavirus-related anxiety. Female HCWs, non-physicians, and the ones with a previous history of anxiety presented higher levels of fear and/or anxiety related to COVID-19. HCWs’ levels of distress should be identified and reduced, so their work is not impaired.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Carvalho ◽  
Marta M. Marques ◽  
Mário Boto Ferreira ◽  
Maria Luísa Lima

AimThe main purpose of this study was to adapt the Restraint Scale (RS) to Portuguese and examine its psychometric properties, specifically its construct validity.MethodIn this study, 238 normal-weight adults (82% women; Mean age = 36.6, SD = 15.0) participated in an online survey containing measures of Restraint Scale, Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire, and Body Dissatisfaction and Drive for Thinness scales.ResultsExploratory factor analyses corroborated the two-factors structure found in previous studies, in particular when three items without clear factorial assignment and low correlation were excluded. A final two-factors version of the RS containing seven items presented a very good fit to the measurement model and good internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis of the 7-items RS in relation to a three-factor model of overeating, dieting and body dissatisfaction measures revealed that the RS was the only restraint measure loading in all three factors.ConclusionThis suggests that the 7-items Portuguese version of the RS has good psychometric properties and unique features that lend it appropriate to identify and study unsuccessful chronic dieters.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110368
Author(s):  
Feni Betriana ◽  
Tetsuya Tanioka ◽  
Tomoya Yokotani ◽  
Youko Nakano ◽  
Hirokazu Ito ◽  
...  

Frequent exposure to patient deaths prompts nurses to experience grief. Unresolved grief leads to harmful consequences of nurses’ mental health and quality of nursing care. A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted to determine the psychometric properties of the Grief traits and State Scale for Nurses. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors measuring the level of nurses’ grief traits (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.84) and two factors in grief state (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.86). Nurses’ feelings of unable to provide good care were associated with a higher risk of grief (odds ratio (OR): 4.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.45–12.75), uncomfortable feeling toward deaths (OR: 11.29, 95%CI: 1.48–85.91), and emotional exhaustion (OR: 7.12, 95%CI: 1.63–30.99). Results indicated that the scale was reliable in determining the levels of their grief. Nurse managers can use the scale to identify their nurses’ levels of grief, creating opportunities to influence the resolution of the grief experiences.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Gramaglia ◽  
Debora Marangon ◽  
Danila Azzolina ◽  
Chiara Guerriero ◽  
Luca Lorenzini ◽  
...  

The 2019-nCOVID pandemic as a public health emergency has faced healthcare systems with unprecedented challenges. Our study aimed to focus on the mental health impact of the 2019-nCOVID pandemic on healthcare workers (HCWs) from North-Eastern Piedmont, Italy. For this purpose, we performed an online survey which was e-mailed to HCWs at the end of the first peak of the pandemic. We involved both frontline and not-frontline HCWs, employed in the hospital or in healthcare services outside the hospital. The primary outcome of our research was the assessment of burnout, while secondary outcomes included the investigation of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. We observed higher levels of burnout (especially in the Depersonalization and Personal Accomplishment dimensions), in females, in HCWs aged &lt;30 years, in those exposed to changes in their daily and family habits, in those who had to change their duties at work and in residents in training. In our HCWs sample we found lower levels of anxiety and depression than those reported in the literature. The problematic levels of burnout and adverse psychological outcomes observed during the pandemic cannot be underestimated. Given the recurrence in autumn 2020 of a new pandemic peak, which has once again put a strain on the health system and HCWs, it is supported the importance of a careful assessment of HCWs' mental health, and of the possible risk and protective factors both in the work environment and in the extra-work one.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin Fischer ◽  
Annette Schröder ◽  
Joanne E. Taylor ◽  
Jens Heider

Presently, there is no instrument to support the diagnosis of driving fear and its severity. To enable a reliable and valid diagnosis, the five-item German-language Instrument for Fear of Driving (IFD) was developed. The items, in accordance with DSM-5 criteria for specific phobia, measure the emotional, cognitive and physiological components of driving fear as well as the degree of avoidance and impairment. The present paper comprises two studies that describe the development of the IFD and its psychometric properties. In Study 1, the IFD was administered to 810 non-clinical participants in an online survey and demonstrated good reliability and construct validity. In Study 2, 54 people with a clinical diagnosis, including clinically relevant driving fear, completed the IFD and a clinical interview. The IFD demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity, and a cut-off score resulted in 95% sensitivity and 97% specificity. The IFD is a promising screening instrument for driving fear and its severity.


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