Risk Management and Healthcare Policy (Oct 2022)
Initial Psychometric Development of the Fear and Anxiety to COVID-19 Scale in Nursing Professionals: An Occupational Health Assessment Tool
Abstract
Cristina Morgado-Toscano,1 Regina Allande-Cussó,2 Javier Fagundo-Rivera,3 Juan Jesús García-Iglesias,4 Jose Antonio Climent-Rodríguez,5 Yolanda Navarro-Abal,5 Juan Gómez-Salgado4,6 1Health Sciences Doctorate School, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain; 2Department of Nursing, University of Seville, Seville, Spain; 3Centro Universitario de Enfermería Cruz Roja, University of Seville, Seville, Spain; 4Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain; 5Department of Social, Evolutionary and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain; 6Safety and Health Postgraduate Programme, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Guayaquil, EcuadorCorrespondence: Regina Allande-Cussó, Department of Nursing, University of Seville, Sevilla, 41009, Spain, Email [email protected] Juan Gómez-Salgado, Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva, Avenida Tres de marzo s/n, 21007, Huelva, Spain, Email [email protected]: The effects caused by COVID-19 on the physical and mental health show the need to renew and create tools that specifically measure the fear and anxiety caused by the pandemic in healthcare professionals. The aim of the study was to measure fear and anxiety of COVID-19 in the nursing population group using a specific assessment scale.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in Spain based on questionnaires. The sample was selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling. Univariate and bivariate descriptive analyses were performed. For qualitative variables, a categorical regression analysis was performed.Results: The sample consisted of 1012 nurses residing in Spain, 86.6% of whom were women, with a mean age of 40.84 years (SD = 11.51). The bivariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in the mean score of the scale and the variables sex, level of education, m2 of the dwelling, and work area.Conclusion: The validation of this scale provides a new management tool that should enable managers to assess anxiety and fear among their nurses, whether in the current COVID-19 pandemic or in other possible epidemiological situations to come.Keywords: COVID-19, anxiety, fear, nurses, mental health
