Fear of COVID-19 in Romania: Validation of the Romanian Version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale Using Graded Response Model Analysis

AbstractOne of the basic emotions generated by the COVID-19 pandemic is the fear of contacting this disease. The main aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Romanian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), based on classical test theory and item response theory, namely, graded response model. The FCV-19S was translated into Romanian following a forward-backward translation procedure. The reliability and validity of the instrument were assessed in a sample of 809 adults (34.6%  males;Mage = 32.61; SD  ±11.25; age range from 18 to 68 years). Results showed that the Romanian FCV-19S had very good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .88; McDonald’s omega = .89; composite reliability = .89). The confirmatory factor analysis for one-factor FCV-19S based on the maximum likelihood estimation method with Satorra-Bentler correction for non-normality proved that the model fitted well (CFI = .99, TLI = .97, RMSEA = .06, 90% CI [.05, .09], SRMR = .01). As for criterion-related validity, the fear of COVID-19 score correlated with depression (r = .25,p <  .01), stress (r = .45,p <  .01), resilience (r = − .22,p <  .01) and happiness (r = −.33,p <  .01). The heterotrait-monotrait criteria less than .85 certified the discriminant validity of the FCV-19S-RO. The GRM analysis highlighted robust psychometric properties of the scale and measurement invariance ac...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction - Category: Addiction Source Type: research