The Persian Version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (Persian-C19P-S) and the Differences in COVID-19-Related Phobic Reactions in Patients with Anxiety Disorders

The validation of the Arabic version of the Coronavirus-2019 Phobia Scale (C19P-SA) and individual differences in coronaphobia experiences among an Arabic population

The current study adapted the Coronavirus 19 Phobia Scale into Arabic and tested the psychometric properties of the adapted version on 469 Arabic-speaking individuals (mean age = 29.57 years old; SD = 10.39; range = 9-71 years old). After confirmatory analysis found supporting evidence for the four-factor structure, consequent analysis on convergent and discriminant validity and reliability of the Arabic version are also supported. A 2 × 2 between-groups factorial multivariate analysis of variance was used to investigate individual differences in coronaphobia. Results show that there is no significant interaction effect between gender and marital status, λ = 0.973, F (8,460) = 1600, p = 0.121, partial η2 = 0. 014; however, the main effect for gender is statistically significant, λ = 0.925, F (4,464) = 9.367, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.075, power = 1.000, where women score higher than men on all coronaphobia factors. In addition, the main effect for marital status is also significant, λ = 0.923, F (4,464) = 4.701, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.039, power = 0.998, where singles score higher than married couples on only two coronaphobia factors: Psychological and economic. Based on the findings, we conclude that the effects of coronaphobia have similarities across nations as well as differences unique to the Arabic populations.

The Japanese adaptation and validation of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S)

There exists a significant need of screening, measuring, and assessing phobic reactions to the negative effects and consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across the world. For this purpose, the C19P-S has b een developed and adapted to several languages and cultures including Turkish, Russian, Arabic, English, Korean, and soforth. This study aimed to adapt the scale into Japanese. Convenience sampling was used in the recruitment of the participants. The sample involved 310 Japanese-speaking natives from different prefectures of the country (MeanAGE = 49.97; SD = 13.07). The scale is a self-report instrument, which includes 20, 5-point Likert-type items. The scale assesses the levels of COVID-19 phobia in four areas: Psychological, Somatic, Economic, and Social. The validity (content, construct, convergent, and discriminant) and reliability (internal consistency) analyses were conducted. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used for group comparisons. MANOVA results show that women scored statistically higher in the psychological area. Furthermore, the participants with a lower educational level scored higher than those with a higher level in the somatic area. Among other scales measuring fear and anxiety, the C19P-S Japanese (C19P-SJ) is the first measurement tool specifically designed and adapted for evaluating coronaphobia. It is suggested that the individuals with psychiatric diagnoses be included to measure and support the construct validity of the scale.

Predictive factors of anxiety and depression in COVID-19 survivors: A cross-sectional study

Background

Depression and anxiety are among the most critically recognized psychological complication of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim

This study aimed to examine the two predictors among COVID-19 survivors in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2022.

Methodology

Using a descriptive-analytical design, 347 COVID-19 survivors referred to hospitals in Ahvaz were meticulously examined. The database of the COVID-19 registration system contained primary information about the samples. For data collection, questionnaires, including the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventory and a demographic questionnaire, were utilized.

Results

The results revealed a significant relationship between anxiety score and family size (p = 0.019), education level (p < 0.001), occupation (p = 0.015), household income status (p = 0.017), disease history (p = 0.017), ethnicity (p < 0.001), disease severity (p < 0.001), and quarantine period (p < 0.001). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between the average depression score and gender (p = 0.023), number of family households (p = 0.009), level of education (p < 0.001), occupation (p < 0.001), household income (p < 0.001), disease severity (p < 0.001), disease history (p < 0.001), and quarantine period (p < 0.001). Moreover, linear regression analysis indicated only a significant relationship between depression scores and the quarantine period variable (p < 0.001), among others. The simultaneous examination of all variables on depression disorder highlighted a meaningful relationship between depression score and disease history (p = 0.013), occupation (p = 0.002), household income status (p = 0.002), and family size (p = 0.039).

Conclusions

This study revealed a significant relationship between certain demographic variables, such as quarantine period, disease history, employment status, household income status, and the number of family households, and an increase in the average depression and anxiety score.

Psychometric properties of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale based on Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) models among Chinese front-line healthcare workers

BACKGROUND

Since March 2022, the COVID-19 epidemic has rebounded widely and frequently in China. Healthcare workers have faced grand challenges such as soaring COVID-19 patients, being busy with the nucleic acid screening of all the populations in the epidemic areas every day, and testing positive for COVID-19, all of which contributed to anxiety easily according to the Conservation of Resources theory. However, anxiety among healthcare workers is not only associated with personal health but also adversely affects the quality of health services. Therefore, it is crucial to search for suitable tools to monitor the anxiety related to COVID-19 among healthcare workers. The current study aimed to test the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) in Chinese healthcare workers.

METHODS

The current study employed a cross-sectional design. The CAS was translated into Chinese. Then, according to Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) models, the psychometric properties of the Chinese version were measured among 811 healthcare workers.

RESULTS

The split-half reliability was 0.855. The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.895. The retest coefficient was 0.901 with 10 days as the retest interval. The content validity index was 0.920. In exploratory factor analysis, one common factor was extracted and explained 72.559% of the total variance. All item load values on the common factor ranged from 0.790 to 0.885, and the communality of each item ranged from 0.625 to 0.784. With confirmatory factor analysis, the single factor model showed an excellent goodness-of-fit, chi-square/degree of freedom (χ2/df) = 3.339, goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.992, adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) = 0.975, root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.054, root mean square residual (RMR) = 0.005, incremental fit index (IFI) = 0.967, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.932, and comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.966. The multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed the invariance measuring anxiety of COVID-19 was in similar ways across ages, hospital degrees, and professional titles. With convergent validity, the CAS was positively correlated with post-traumatic stress disorder (r = 0.619, P < 0.001), fear of COVID (r = 0.550, P < 0.001), and depression (r = 0.367, P < 0.001). According to IRT models, the results showed that all item discrimination parameters were higher than 1.70 and difficulty parameters ranged from 1.13 to 2.83.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of CAS has good psychometric properties in healthcare workers after China adjusted the COVID-19 management measures during the COVID-19 Omicron epidemic, and can be used for assessing the anxiety associated with COVID-19 in Chinese healthcare workers.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S)

BACKGROUND

During various infectious pandemics, phobia or panic has been suggested as one of the most common mental disorders. The current study reports on the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S) in Iran.

METHODS

The forward-backward translation procedure was applied to translate the English version of the C19P-S into Persian. Then, content and face validity, structural validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses), convergent and discriminant validity, concurrent validity, reliability, and stability were performed to evaluate the Persian version.

RESULTS

In all, 660 people participated in the study. The mean age of patients was 35.55 (SD = 12.24) years. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a four-factor structure for the scale. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that almost all fitness indices for the model were satisfactory (RMSEA = 0.06, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.96, IFI = 0.97). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the questionnaire were 0.95 and 0.96, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The Persian version of C19P-S showed good psychometric properties and a good fit for the four-factor structure. It can now be used to assess panic disorder in therapeutic settings and identify candidates needing clinical intervention.

Anxiety among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

A growing body of research examines the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on well-being. Only few studies focus on older adults or explore the predictors of COVID-19-related anxiety. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and some behaviors (e.g., avoidance, procrastination) are linked to anxiety among older adults and could both be relevant to consider in a pandemic context. This study measured the occurrence and anxiety levels among older adults and verified the possible role of IU and behaviors in predicting anxiety symptoms, impairment and distress related to COVID-19 health standards. It also examined the indirect effect of IU on symptoms, impairment and distress through behaviors. Participants aged 60 and over (N = 356) were recruited and administered questionnaires. Anxiety levels and symptom impairment were high and appeared to have increased since the beginning of the pandemic. IU and behavioral manifestations of anxiety were associated with higher anxiety symptoms, impairment and distress related to COVID-19 health standards. The indirect effects of IU on the tendency to worry and COVID-19-related anxiety through behavioral manifestations of anxiety were confirmed. This study provides knowledge on the relationship between COVID-19 and anxiety in older adults and identifies predictors relevant to this population.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Chinese version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale in depressive symptoms sample during COVID-19 closure: An exploratory structural equation modeling approach

The COVID-19 Phobia Scale is an instrument for measuring the phobia of coronavirus. It has a stable four-factor structure and good reliability and validity in other countries and regions. In order to expand related research, this study aims to test the reliability and validity of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale in Chinese adolescents with depressive symptoms. The C19P-SC was translated into Chinese by the method of forward and back translation and tested in 1933 Chinese adolescents with depressive symptoms. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were used to test and compare the four-factor model of the C19P-SC. Then we tested the measurement invariance of the C19P-SC across gender and time. Finally, the reliability was measured with the McDonald's omega coefficients. Consistent with previous studies, the C19P-SC showed a stable four-factor structure. The results showed that ESEM was better than CFA and more reasonable. In addition, the results of multi-group ESEM showed that the C19P-SC met the strict invariance at male and female and partial longitudinal strict invariance. The Mcdonald's omega coefficients of the C19P-SC total scale and each subscale reached the expected acceptable level. In short, the reliability and validity index of C19P-SC has reached an acceptable level, and the measurement invariance of different genders and different time points was established, but the cross-factor phenomenon of individual items was abnormal, and a further revision and testing are still needed.

Assessing anxiety during the COVID-19 delta epidemic: Validation of the Chinese coronavirus anxiety scale

The study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the coronavirus anxiety scale (CAS) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) delta epidemic. A total of 2,116 participants on the Chinese mainland completed the online survey. We employed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to investigate the factor structure. The findings showed that the one-factor model of the CAS Chinese version fitted perfectly with the data. The multigroup CFAs showed the measurement invariance across gender and age groups (18–29 and 30–68). We also examined the CAS’s internal consistency and convergent and concurrent validity. The results demonstrated that the one-factor model had good reliability and convergent and concurrent validity. Overall, according to our findings, the CAS Chinese version was reliable for measuring coronavirus anxiety during the COVID-19 delta outbreak.

The adaption of the Chinese version of the COVID Stress Scales as a screening instrument of stress: Psychometric properties during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID Stress Scales (CSS) was used to access related distress concerning Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Based on China's epidemic prevention and control policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the adaption of the Chinese version of the CSS was developed. Our study evaluated the reliability and validity of the Chinese adapted version of the CSS during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was employed to construct a national sample of 2,116 participants in Chinese mainland. We examined the factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and concurrent validity. The results demonstrated that the six-factor solution for the Chinese adaptation of the CSS proved a good fit with the data after comparing the factor structure with the five-factor model. The six-factor model had good reliability and supported good convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity of the CSS Chinese adaption. Overall, our findings supported the Chinese adapted version of the CSS as a psychometrically sound measure of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Validation of coronavirus-2019 phobia scale using preschool practitioners in urban and rural communities in Nigeria: Implication for educational sociologists

Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) emerged in December 2019, causing significant changes in people's social lives and other human activities. The outbreak halted educational activities throughout the world. The Nigerian experience was unique in that most people were skeptical about the pandemic's existence. This practice contributed to the Nigerian people's fear of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, in Nigeria, there has never been a validated or established Covid-19 phobia scale, necessitating this study.This study was a pure validation study on COVID-19 phobia scale (C19PS). The study area was south-east states and a sample of 386 preschool practitioners in urban and rural communities of South East States, Nigeria participated in the study. The eligibility criteria include being a preschool teacher and demonstrating signs of COVID-19 phobia. The validation of the C19PS was done by subjecting the data gathered to principal axis factoring analysis with varimax rotation. The model fit for the data was tested using root mean square error of approximation and comparative fit index.It was found that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of .845 for the measure of the adequacy of the sample size. There was also a significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (P < .05). This implies that the correlation matrix for the C19PS is not an identity matrix. It was revealed that C19PS had good overall reliability (α = .896) and model fit (Root mean square error of approximation = .042, comparative fit index = .943) in a sample of Nigerian preschool practitioners.As a result, C19PS was recommended as a trustworthy tool for identifying persons who suffer from COVID-19 phobia.

COVID-19-Related Psychological Trauma and Psychological Distress Among Community-Dwelling Psychiatric Patients: People Struck by Depression and Sleep Disorders Endure the Greatest Burden

COVID-19 has created a general state of worry and distress, especially among vulnerable groups such as those with psychiatric diagnoses. Worldwide, psychiatric care provision has drastically suffered during the pandemic, with many patients unable to access proper care, which may have implications for increased mental health consequences in patients with psychiatric disorders (e.g., relapse and suicide). This cross-sectional study used structural equation modeling to investigate COVID-19-related trauma and distress among Arab psychiatric population during COVID-19 quarantine. Patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders (N = 168) completed an online survey that comprised the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and a questionnaire on COVID-19-related attitudes/perceptions, sources of information, used protective measures, and socio-demographic information. Respondents commonly reported feeling down-hearted/blue, trouble concentrating, along with symptoms of avoidance and rumination related to the pandemic. Patients with depression and sleep disorders expressed higher COVID-19-related trauma than patients with other disorders. Perceived physical health mediated the effect of co-morbid chronic physical disorders on COVID-19 trauma, psychological distress, perceived vulnerability to COVID-19, and perceived likelihood of recovery in case of contracting COVID-19. Perceived physical health and perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 were strong direct predictors of COVID-19-related trauma and psychological distress. Staying at home negatively predicted COVID-19 trauma and exerted an indirect negative effect on psychological distress via COVID-19 trauma. COVID-19 trauma, age, and marital status directly predicted psychological distress, with COVID-19 trauma being the strongest predictor. Educational level, income, having family members working in the medical field, keeping up to date with the news on deaths/infected cases or the development of COVID-19 drugs or vaccines, satisfaction with available information on COVID-19, and using different protective measures were not associated with significant differences in COVID-19 trauma and psychological distress scores. Immuno-psychiatric interventions should be designed to target COVID-19-trauma and distress among younger single patients with perceived poor physical health, especially those diagnosed with depression and sleep disorders.

Network pharmacology study on the mechanism of Qiangzhifang in the treatment of panic disorder

Background

Panic disorder (PD) is a kind of mental illness characterized by the symptom of recurring panic attacks. Qiangzhifang (QZF) is a novel decoction developed by Professor Zhaojun Yan based on a unique system of syndrome differentiation and clinical experience. It has achieved remarkable results after long-term clinical practice, but its mechanism of action is still unclear. This study aims to use network pharmacology and molecular docking to explore the mechanism of QZF in the treatment of PD.

Methods

We used the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), a literature search, and Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM) to find active ingredients and targets of QZF. We searched for PD targets in GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), and DrugBank. We established a PD target database, constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis in order to screen possible pathways of action and analyze the mechanism.

Results

This study identified 84 effective components of QZF, 691 potential targets, 357 PD targets, and 97 intersectional targets. Enrichment analysis using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) showed that QZF was associated with 118 biological processes (BPs), 18 cellular components (CCs), 35 molecular functions (MFs) [false discovery rate (FDR) <0.01], and 62 pathways (FDR <0.01). QZF mainly acts on its targets AKT1, FOS, and APP through active ingredients such as quercetin, β-sitosterol, 4-(4'-hydroxybenzyloxy)benzyl methyl ether, harmine, 1,7-dimethoxyxanthone, and 1-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone to regulate serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and other signal pathways to treat PD.

Conclusions

Through network pharmacology and molecular docking technology, we predicted the possible mechanism of QZF in the treatment of PD, revealed the interaction targets and potential value of QZF, and provided a basis for its clinical application.

The associations of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions and general severity with suicidal ideation in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: The role of specific stress responses to COVID-19

Suicidal ideation is prevalent in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD); but, during COVID‐19, it may be increased. The present study aimed to examine the effects of obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptom dimensions and OCD severity on suicidal ideation by considering the role of stress responses in reaction to COVID‐19 in a clinical sample of patients with OCD. In a cross‐sectional study, 304 patients with OCD completed measures of OC symptom dimensions, OCD severity, general mental health (depression and anxiety), and COVID‐19‐related stress. Results showed that after controlling for depression, anxiety, comorbidity, and lifetime suicide attempts, the OC symptom dimensions of responsibility for harm and unacceptable obsessional thoughts as well as general severity had indirect effects on suicidal ideation through the specific stress responses to COVID‐19, including traumatic stress and compulsive checking. The study shows that OCD patients with specific OC symptom dimensions and severe OCD are more likely to have suicidal ideation during the pandemic. Further, the specific stress responses to COVID‐19 may be an underlying mechanism. Clinicians should carefully assess suicidal ideation in patients with OCD who experience responsibility for harm and unacceptable thoughts, particularly during the pandemic.