Validation of the Spanish Version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in Long-Term Care Settings

Pilar Cárdenas Soriano, Carmen Rodriguez-Blazquez (), Maria João Forjaz, Alba Ayala, Fermina Rojo-Perez, Gloria Fernandez-Mayoralas, Maria-Angeles Molina-Martinez, Carmen Perez de Arenaza Escribano and Vicente Rodriguez-Rodriguez
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Pilar Cárdenas Soriano: Department of Preventive Medicine, University Hospital of Albacete, ES-02006 Albacete, Spain
Carmen Rodriguez-Blazquez: National Centre of Epidemiology and Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Carlos III Institute of Health, ES-28029 Madrid, Spain
Maria João Forjaz: National Centre of Epidemiology and Health Service Research Network on Chronic Diseases (REDISSEC) and Research Network on Chronicity, Primary Care and Health Promotion (RICAPPS), Carlos III Institute of Health, ES-28029 Madrid, Spain
Alba Ayala: Department of Statistics, University Carlos III of Madrid, and Health Service Research Network on Chronic Diseases (REDISSEC), Carlos III Institute of Health, ES-28029 Madrid, Spain
Fermina Rojo-Perez: Grupo de Investigacion Sobre Envejecimiento (GIE), IEGD, CSIC, ES-28037 Madrid, Spain
Gloria Fernandez-Mayoralas: Grupo de Investigacion Sobre Envejecimiento (GIE), IEGD, CSIC, ES-28037 Madrid, Spain
Maria-Angeles Molina-Martinez: Faculty of Psychology, National University of Distance Education (UNED), ES-28037 Madrid, Spain
Carmen Perez de Arenaza Escribano: Grupo de Investigacion Sobre Envejecimiento (GIE), IEGD, CSIC, ES-28037 Madrid, Spain
Vicente Rodriguez-Rodriguez: Grupo de Investigacion Sobre Envejecimiento (GIE), IEGD, CSIC, ES-28037 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-14

Abstract: Fear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the main psychological impacts of the actual pandemic, especially among the population groups with higher mortality rates. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) has been used in different scenarios to assess fear associated with COVID-19, but this has not been done frequently in people living in long-term care (LTC) settings. The present study is aimed at measuring the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the FCV-19S in residents in LTC settings, following both the classical test theory (CTT) and Rasch model frameworks. The participants (n = 447), aged 60 years or older, were asked to complete the FCV-19S and to report, among other issues, their levels of depression, resilience, emotional wellbeing and health-related quality of life with validated scales. The mean FCV-19S score was 18.36 (SD 8.28, range 7–35), with higher scores for women, participants with lower education (primary or less) and higher adherence to preventive measures (all, p < 0.05). The Cronbach’s alpha for the FCV-19S was 0.94. After eliminating two items due to a lack of fit, the FCV-19S showed a good fit to the Rasch model (χ 2 (20) = 30.24, p = 0.019, PSI = 0.87), with unidimensionality (binomial 95% CI 0.001 to 0.045) and item local independency. Question 5 showed differential item functioning by sex. The present study shows that the FCV-19S has satisfactory reliability and validity, which supports its use to effectively measure fear in older people living in LTC settings. This tool could help identify risk groups that may need specific health education and effective communication strategies to lower fear levels. This might have a beneficial impact on adherence to preventive measures.

Keywords: fear; COVID-19; long-term care; older people; psychometric properties; Rasch analysis; classical test theory; Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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