Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Archives of Health Science and Research, cilt.8, sa.2, ss.117-123, 2021 (Scopus)
Objective: It is known that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a new type of coronavirus disease that started to spread from China to the whole world at the end of 2019, causes fear and anxiety among all people because of its emergence and consequences. Although the uncertainty created by this situation, witnessed for the first time, will continue in the long term, and the opinions increase curiosity and interest; it was deemed important to examine the individual and social reflections. Therefore, a measurement tool was needed to evaluate the impact and fear of the COVID-19 epidemic on society. In this study, we aimed to adapt the Fear of COVID-19 Scale to Turkish and to evaluate its validity and reliability. Material and Methods: The sample of the study included adults aged 18 and over, living within the borders of Istanbul, who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale. The language adaptation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was made, and for the reliability study, internal consistency, item-total score reliability coefficient, and two half-test reliability were examined; explanatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to demonstrate construct validity; and for criterion-related validity, analysis was performed with a similar scale. Results: As a result of the factor analysis performed for the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, it was determined that it can be used in one dimension. It was found that the internal consistency coefficient of the scale, which had an average score of 61.16±8.77 was 0.867, and the item total correlation coefficients varied between 0.600 and 0.722. As a result of the analysis for criterion-related validity, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between the two scales (r = 0.298, P < .001). Conclusion: As a result of the analysis, the researchers believe that the Fear of COVID-19 Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate the impact of the pandemic process on psychological health.