Development and Psychometric Testing of the Self-Care in COVID-19 (SCOVID) Scale, an Instrument for Measuring Self-Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Maddalena De Maria, Federico Ferro, Davide Ausili, Rosaria Alvaro, Maria Grazia De Marinis, Stefania Di Mauro, Maria Matarese and Ercole Vellone
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Maddalena De Maria: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Federico Ferro: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Davide Ausili: Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
Rosaria Alvaro: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
Maria Grazia De Marinis: Research Unit of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Campus Bio-medico University of Rome, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 21 00128 Rome, Italy
Stefania Di Mauro: Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
Maria Matarese: Research Unit of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Campus Bio-medico University of Rome, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 21 00128 Rome, Italy
Ercole Vellone: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: Aim: To develop the Self-Care in COVID-19 (SCOVID) scale and to test its psychometric characteristics in the general population. Methods: We tested SCOVID scale content validity with 19 experts. For factorial and construct validity, reliability, and measurement error, we administered the 20-item SCOVID scale to a sample of 461 Italians in May/June 2020 (mean age: 48.8, SD ± 15.8). Results: SCOVID scale item content validity ranged between 0.85–1.00, and the total scale content validity was 0.94. Confirmatory factor analysis supported SCOVID scale factorial validity (comparative fit index = 0.91; root mean square error of approximation = 0.05). Construct validity was supported by significant correlations with other instrument scores measuring self-efficacy, positivity, quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Reliability estimates were good with factor score determinacy, composite reliability, global reliability index, Cronbach’s alpha, and test-retest reliability ranging between 0.71–0.91. The standard error of measurement was adequate. Conclusions: The SCOVID scale is a new instrument measuring self-care in the COVID-19 pandemic with adequate validity and reliability. The SCOVID scale can be used in practice and research for assessing self-care in the COVID-19 pandemic to preventing COVID-19 infection and maintaining wellbeing in the general population.

Keywords: self-care; COVID-19; infectious diseases; psychometrics; validity; reliability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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