Psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) in the Ecuadorian population.

Abstract

The global pandemic since the outbreak of COVID-19 disease has increased emotional and psychological problems. In Ecuador, anxiety, depression and fear have been reported. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the psychometric properties of reliability and validity of the COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S). An observational, prospective, cross-sectional cohort study was conducted. The study population consisted of 491 physicians from the Hospital Provincial Docente de Riobamba, Ecuador. The age of the selected population ranged between 22 and 59 years with a = 35.79 and a δ= 10.026. Results were obtained in the reliability of ɑ= 0.931 and the confirmatory factor analysis with significant values in content validity by means of expert judgment analysis, in construct validity by internal consistency and factor analysis with the Kaiser - Meyer - Oklin and Bartlett test = 0.915. The total variance explained corresponds to 71.034%. The study reveals that the FCV-19S scale is a valid and reliable instrument in the population of physicians, although it is important to encourage its evaluation in other populations.