Psychiatry Investig.  2021 Apr;18(4):332-339. 10.30773/pi.2020.0420.

The Korean Version of Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Psychometric Validation in the Korean Population

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan, Republic of Korea
  • 2Korea Brain-Behavior Mental Health Institute, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
  • 3Department of Psychiatry, Iksan Hospital, Iksan, Republic of Korea
  • 4Department of Public Health, Wonkwang University Graduate School, Iksan, Republic of Korea
  • 5Department of Psychiatry, Shinsegae Hospital, Gimje, Republic of Korea
  • 6Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea

Abstract


Objective
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has psychological effects such as anxiety and depression as well as direct infection in people. The Fear of COVID-19 scale is a scale that can measure anxiety related to COVID-19 in a short time. The purpose of this study was to verify the reliability and validity the Korean version of Fear of COVID-19 scale (KF-COVID-19S).
Methods
The data of total 186 normal adults and 17 patients were finally used for the statistical analysis. For internal consistency, Cronbach’s α was calculated. For concurrent and discriminant validity, the correlations with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Form (WHOQOLBREF) were analyzed. For construct validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted.
Results
Cronbach alpha was 0.88. The two-factor model (factor 1: Physical fear, factor 2: Emotional fear) showed significantly positive correlations and appeared to be “good” fitness (CFI=0.906, IFI=0.907, NFI=0.902).
Conclusion
The KF-COVID-19S can be a useful scale that can measure the physical and emotional fears associated with COVID-19 in a short time. Because the psychiatric patients are a more vulnerable group to the fear, it is thought that the KF-COVID-19S will help to determine the patient’s level of anxiety and make a therapeutic plan for the underlying mental disorder.

Keyword

COVID-19, Coronavirus, Fear, Anxiety, COVID-19 fear
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