Fear of COVID‐19 Scale (FCV‐19S) across countries: Measurement invariance issues
Chung‐Ying Lin,
Wen‐Li Hou,
Mohammed A. Mamun,
José Aparecido da Silva,
Yunier Broche‐Pérez,
Irfan Ullah,
Akihiro Masuyama,
Koubun Wakashima,
Mélody Mailliez,
Arnaud Carre,
Yu‐Pin Chen,
Kun‐Chia Chang,
Yi‐Jie Kuo,
Paolo Soraci,
Damian Scarf,
Anders Broström,
Mark D. Griffiths,
Amir H. Pakpour
Affiliations
Chung‐Ying Lin
Institute of Allied Health Sciences College of Medicine National Cheng Kung University HospitalNational Cheng Kung University Tainan Taiwan
Wen‐Li Hou
College of Nursing Kaohsiung Medical University Kaohsiung Taiwan
Mohammed A. Mamun
CHINTA Research Bangladesh (Centre for Health Innovation, Networking, Training, Action and Research ‐ Bangladesh) Savar, Dhaka Bangladesh
José Aparecido da Silva
Unit of Psychobiology University of São Paulo Sao Paulo Brazil
Yunier Broche‐Pérez
Psychology Department Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas Km 5 ½ Santa Clara Cuba
Irfan Ullah
Kabir Medical College Gandhara University Peshawar Pakistan
Akihiro Masuyama
Faculty of Psychology Iryo Sosei University Iwaki City Japan
Koubun Wakashima
Graduate School of Education Tohoku University Sendai‐city Japan
Mélody Mailliez
ISAE‐SUPAERO (Institut Supérieur de l'aéronautique et de l'espace) University of ToulouseUniversité Fédérale de Toulouse Midi‐Pyrénées) Toulouse France
Arnaud Carre
LIP/PC2S University of Savoie Mont BlancUniversity of Grenoble Alpes Chambéry France
Yu‐Pin Chen
Department of Orthopedic Surgery Wan Fang Hospital Taipei Medical University Taipei Taiwan
Kun‐Chia Chang
Jianan Psychiatric Center Ministry of Health and Welfare Tainan Taiwan
Yi‐Jie Kuo
Department of Orthopedic Surgery Wan Fang Hospital Taipei Medical University Taipei Taiwan
Paolo Soraci
Group Cognitive Behavioral Psychology Association Rome Italy
Damian Scarf
Department of Psychology University of Otago Dunedin New Zealand
Anders Broström
Department of Nursing School of Health and Welfare Jönköping University Jönköping Sweden
Mark D. Griffiths
International Gaming Research Unit Psychology Department Nottingham Trent University Nottingham UK
Amir H. Pakpour
Department of Nursing School of Health and Welfare Jönköping University Jönköping Sweden
Abstract Aim The threats of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) have caused fears worldwide. The Fear of COVID‐19 Scale (FCV‐19S) was recently developed to assess the fear of COVID‐19. Although many studies found that the FCV‐19S is psychometrically sound, it is unclear whether the FCV‐19S is invariant across countries. The present study aimed to examine the measurement invariance of the FCV‐19S across eleven countries. Design Cross‐sectional study. Methods Using data collected from prior research on Bangladesh (N = 8,550), United Kingdom (N = 344), Brazil (N = 1,843), Taiwan (N = 539), Italy (N = 249), New Zealand (N = 317), Iran (N = 717), Cuba (N = 772), Pakistan (N = 937), Japan (N = 1,079) and France (N = 316), comprising a total 15,663 participants, the present study used the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch differential item functioning (DIF) to examine the measurement invariance of the FCV‐19S across country, gender and age (children aged below 18 years, young to middle‐aged adults aged between 18 and 60 years, and older people aged above 60 years). Results The unidimensional structure of the FCV‐19S was confirmed. Multigroup CFA showed that FCV‐19S was partially invariant across country and fully invariant across gender and age. DIF findings were consistent with the findings from multigroup CFA. Many DIF items were displayed for country, few DIF items were displayed for age, and no DIF items were displayed for gender. Conclusion Based on the results of the present study, the FCV‐19S is a good psychometric instrument to assess fear of COVID‐19 during the pandemic period. Moreover, the use of FCV‐19S is supported in at least ten countries with satisfactory psychometric properties.
