Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Antonia Bendau
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Jens Plag
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Lena Pyrkosch
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Lea Mascarell Maricic
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Janina Rogoll
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Felix Betzler
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Julia Große
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Andreas Ströhle
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may cause psychological distress in the general population and has the potential to cause anxiety regarding COVID-19. No validated questionnaires exist for the measurement of specific COVID-19 anxiety. We modified the DSM 5 – Severity Measure for Specific Phobia–Adult scale specifically for anxiety regarding COVID-19, and report the psychometric properties from an online study with 6262 participants from the general population in Germany. We analysed internal consistency as well as concordant validity. The scale showed good internal consistency (α = 0.86) and good concordant validity (rs = 0.60) with the 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder measure and rs = 0.61 with self-rating of limitations in daily life caused by COVID-19 anxiety.
