Validation of the Peruvian Spanish Version of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 Scale to Measure Viral Anxiety of Medical Students During COVID-19

Comparison of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemic-9 and SAVE-6 scales among healthcare workers in Peru

Introduction

Peru is a country that has a high incidence of viral outbreaks and epidemics, which is why it is necessary to validate a scale that measures anxiety and stress in professionals who are on the front lines of these events. Therefore, our objective was to validate the Peruvian-Spanish version of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9 items (SAVE-9) scale and to concurrently compare its validity and internal consistency with the SAVE-6 scale among healthcare workers (HCWs).

Materials and methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study based on data collected from a self-reported survey in paper-and-pencil format between April and July 2023. A total of 203 HCWs participated in the research. We developed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT). We calculated Cronbach's α coefficient and McDonald's ω to assess the internal consistency of the scales.

Results

The results show that SAVE-9 (a two-factor model) and SAVE-6 (a one-factor model) provided an excellent fit in the confirmatory factor analysis. Both scales demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.85 and 0.86, respectively). Significant correlations were found between the SAVE-9 and SAVE-6 scales and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items scale (r = 0.44 and r = 0.38, respectively, p < 0.001) as well as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (r = 0.39 and r = 0.35, respectively, p < 0.001). The optimal cutoff points for SAVE-9 and SAVE-6 were identified for assessing anxiety, aligned with a GAD-7 score ≥5 points.

Conclusion

The Peruvian-Spanish SAVE-9 and SAVE-6 scales are reliable and valid rating scales to assess the anxiety response of HCWs in response to viral epidemics. Though COVID-19 is diminished, these scales will be useful for other viral epidemics in the future.

Application of Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 to Measure the Anxiety Response of Cold Chain Practitioners During the COVID-19 Post-Pandemic Era in China

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 Items (SAVE-6) scale for cold chain practitioners exposed to moderate-to-high risk of infection.

METHODS

A total of 233 cold chain practitioners participated in an anonymous online survey, conducted from October to November 2021. The questionnaire comprised participant demographic characteristics, the Chinese version of SAVE-6, the Generalized Anxiety Disorders-7 (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scales.

RESULTS

Based on the results of the parallel analysis, the single-structure model of the Chinese version of SAVE-6 was adopted. The scale showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.930) and good convergent validity based on Spearman's correlation coefficient with the GAD-7 (rho=0.616, p<0.001) and PHQ-9 (rho=0.540, p<0.001) scale scores. The optimal cutoff score for Chinese Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9 Items was identified as ≥12 (area under the curve=0.797, Sensitivity=0.76, Specificity=0.66) for cold chain practitioners.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of the SAVE-6 scale has good psychometric properties and can be applied as a reliable and valid rating scale to assess the anxiety response of cold chain practitioners in the post-pandemic era.

Psychometric properties of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9 scale among frontline nursing professionals working in the COVID-19 inpatients ward

This study examined the reliability and validity of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9 (SAVE-9) scale among nursing professionals working in a COVID-19 inpatient ward. An anonymous, online survey was conducted among working frontline nursing professionals between April 7 and 18, 2022. We collected information about the participants' age, sex, years of employment, shift work, and marital status. In addition, the participants were asked whether they had dealt with infected patients recently, and whether they had been quarantined, infected, or vaccinated. SAVE-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate symptoms. We used the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to determine the validity of the two-factor model of the SAVE-9 scale. We also tested reliability and convergent validity using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales. A total of 136 responses was analyzed, and CFA for two-factors model of the SAVE-9 scale showed a good model fit among frontline nursing professionals (CFI = 1.000, TLI = 1.040, RMSEA = 0.000, RSMR = 0.060). Multi-group CFAs revealed that the SAVE-9 scale can measure work-related stress and viral anxiety in the same way across sex, having depression, or having generalized anxiety. The internal consistency was shown to be good, and the SAVE-9 scale was significantly correlated with the GAD-7 (r = 0.328, p < 0.001) and PHQ-9 score (r = 0.361, p < 0.001). The two-factor model of the SAVE-9 is a valid and reliable scale for frontline nursing professionals.