Validation of the COVID-19 Fear Scale modified for application during the perinatal period

Abstract

Purpose The COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) allows screening in general population; however, there is no specific instrument in our population for screening in the perinatal period that considers fear related with COVID-19 and offspring well-being. We aimed to validate the FCV-19S modified for application during the perinatal period. Materials and methods Analytical, cross-sectional design. After signing consent, women 18–45 years were included. Internal consistency was calculated with Cronbach’s alpha, external validity using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), factorial analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient for re-test. Results The sample included 178 women, mean age 31.04 ± 5.9. We obtained internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha = 0.873 (95%CI, 0.842–0.899). Spearman’s Rho coefficient was 0.207 (p= .013). All the elements were statistically significant for the polychoric correlation (p<.001). Reliability test–retest with intraclass correlation was 0.873. Conclusions The version of FCV-19S modified with eight items is a valid measurement instrument for application during the perinatal period, showing adequate internal consistency and external validity with HADS as measure of concurrence to identify anxiety related with COVID-19 during the perinatal period.

Keywords

• fcv-19
• perinatal
• validation
• covid-19
• hads