Psychometric properties of Covid stress scales (CSS)

• Main Author: Moya, Marites Silva
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Stress in old age > Philippines; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_psych/37; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_psych/article/1037/viewcontent/2023_Moya_Psychometric_Properties_of_COVID_Stress_Scales__CSS__Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Several studies have reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has considerably influenced the general public's psychological, emotional, and social well-being. Given the growing concern regarding the psychological consequences of COVID-19, it is critical to objectively evaluate these psychological impacts using a valid and reliable tool specifically designed for assessing COVID-19's effects. The study’s main objective was to determine the construct validity of the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) as a tool to measure the stress level caused by COVID-19 in adult Filipino individuals. Contextual/cultural adaptation was carried out to ensure that CSS was appropriate for Filipino culture. In adapting the CSS, the process closely followed current best practices in developing and validating scale. Items were drawn from extant literature about the sources of COVID stress among Filipinos. Nine newly constructed items based on local COVID studies were included in the scale. The nine new items are: (1) I am worried that my money is not enough to buy the family's basic needs.; (2) I am worried that I might lose my job due to the pandemic.; (3) I am worried that my salary is not enough to pay monthly bills.; (4) I am worried about dining in a restaurant being run or managed by foreigner/s.; (5) I am worried that I might catch the virus when going to public places.; (6) I am worried that I might catch the virus when riding public transportation.; (7) I am worried that my deliveries (from Grab, food Panda, Shopee, Lazada etc.) have been contaminated by deliverymen.; (8) Thoughts about people whom I know died because of COVID-19 are giving me unwanted fears about death.; and (9) Hearing news about people getting sick with COVID-19 prevents me from concentrating on my work /responsibilities. The COVID Stress Scales (CSS) were also assessed for content validity following Lynn Method Approach. The Lynn Method of content validity was used to quantify the indicators of content clarity and content relevance of the CSS; that is, the items are designed to capture the relevant experience of the demographic being studied. Some items were revised in terms of the organization of the sentence, clarity, and suitability of the construct of COVID stress in the Filipino context. After assessing the content validity of the items, an online cognitive interview was also conducted to ensure appropriate language and concepts. After the interview, the CSS was pre-tested on 30 respondents and subjected to reliability testing, with all coefficients being greater than .80, indicating good to excellent reliability. To investigate the underlying structure of the CSS, exploratory factor analysis was performed using principal component analysis and promax oblique rotation. The .40 value was chosen for item loading because it is the most recommended range of cutoff values and accounts for roughly 16% of the variance in the variable. The final Filipino-CSS consisted of 38 items, and five factors emerged corresponding to (1) personal, social, and economic risk, (2) traumatic stress, (3) xenophobia, (4) compulsive checking, and (5) contamination. Eight out of nine additional items successfully loaded in their intended factors. The eight additional items were: (1) I am worried that I might catch the virus when going to public places.; (2) I am worried that I might catch the virus when riding public transportation.; (3) I am worried that my money is not enough to buy the family's basic needs; (4) I am worried that I might lose my job due to the pandemic; (5) I am worried that my salary is not enough to pay monthly bills., (6) Thoughts about people whom I know died because of COVID 19 are giving me unwanted fears about death., (7) Hearing news about people getting sick with COVID 19 prevents me from concentrating on my work /responsibilities., (8) I am worried about dining in a restaurant being run or managed by foreigner/s. The six original items that were removed were from the danger scale (I am worried that basic hygiene (e.g. handwashing) is not enough to keep me safe from the virus.; I am worried that social distancing is not enough to keep me safe from the virus.), contamination scale (I am worried about accepting change in any cash transactions.; I am worried that I might catch the virus from handling money or using a debit machine/ ATM; I am worried that my mail has been contaminated by postman.), and socio-economic consequences (I am worried that grocery stores will run out of bottled water supply.). In the five-factor dimensions reported by Taylor and colleagues, danger and contamination are loaded as one factor. However, the Filipino-CSS found that danger and socio-economic consequences are strongly correlated and form one factor, while contamination is a separate factor. This combined factor was renamed as personal, social, and economic risk and accounted for the most variance. Filipinos are particularly worried about getting infected and the pandemic's impact on their social and economic security, which significantly affects their mental health. The fear of the virus and its impact on socio-economic situations, including job loss and financial insecurity, are the main sources of COVID stress for Filipinos. The prolonged community quarantine in the Philippines has exacerbated psychological distress, especially among those experiencing severe financial difficulties due to COVID-19. The results of the study also showed that the Filipino-CSS is a valid and reliable measure of COVID stress among Filipinos. The Filipino-CSS overall scale and its subscale have high-reliability coefficients. The scale’s construct validity was further supported by the fact that all five factors had a strong positive relationship with the overall scale and are highly intercorrelated. The outcomes also confirmed previous research and offer compelling evidence for the construct validity of the CSS by showing direct relationships between COVID-19 fear-related measures and COVID-19 anxiety-related measures. The results suggest that the Filipino-CSS could be used as a valid and reliable tool for assessing the sources of COVID stress among adult Filipinos. This tool may specifically assist mental health professionals in identifying early symptoms or manifestations of COVID-19 stress as they deal with the psychological effects of the ongoing pandemic and the post-pandemic period. Keywords: scale development, validity, construct validity, cultural adaptation, factor analysis, EFA, COVID-19, COVID-19 stress, adult, Philippines