Initial translation and validation of the Brief Version of the COVID-19 Stress Scales (CSS-B)

Abstract

Objective (s): Due to its unpredictable and unfortunate circumstances, the coronavirus has caused stress among people and disrupted their lives. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Brief Version of the COVID-19 Stress Scales (CSS-B) in Iran. Methods: This was a methodological study. The original questionnaire was translated using the backward-forward method. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and the face validity was achieved by the qualitative method through interviews with ten people. Then, the construct validity of the Brief Corona Stress Scale was conducted through the known group comparison. Convergent validity was assessed by correlation between the brief version (CSS-B) and the 36-item COVID Stress Scales (CSS). The reliability of the scale was calculated by internal consistency analysis. Results: In all, 415 people participated in the study. The mean age of patients was 35.55 (SD = 12.24) years. The known group comparison showed that the average total score of the Corona stress scale among females significantly was higher than that of men (P=0.038) as hypothesized. Convergent validity showed a significant correlation between the Persian version of the CSS-B and the CSS (r=0981). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the dimensions and the whole questionnaire was acceptable ranging from 0.82 to 0.96. Conclusion: The findings showed appropriate validity and reliability for the Persian version of the Brief Version of the COVID-19 Stress Scale. It is suggested that the future studies need to assess the structural validity (expletory and confirmatory factor analysis) of the CSS-B with a bigger sample size.

Keywords

• covid-19 pandemic
• stress
• mental health
• psychometrics
• validity
• reliability