[Design and validation of a scale to measure worry for contagion of the COVID-19 (PRE-COVID-19)]

Association between concern about COVID-19, social support and knowledge about tuberculosis with adherence to antituberculosis treatment in Lima, Perú

INTRODUCTION

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, information on factors associated with adherence to antituberculosis treatment in areas with high prevalence of tuberculosis is scarce.

OBJETIVE

To evaluate whether there is an association between social support, concern about COVID-19 infection and knowledge about tuberculosis, and non-adherence to antituberculosis treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODOS

A cross-sectional study was carried out on patients under antituberculosis treatment, from January to March, 2022, in centers located in areas with a high prevalence of tuberculosis in Lima. We used the Morisky Green-Levine questionnaire to assess adherence to treatment as the dependent variable; the independent variables were evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey for perceived social support and concern about COVID-19 infection, and the Battle Test to assess patients’ knowledge about their disease. We used Poisson regression with robust variance to evaluate the association between the independent variables and the dependent one.

RESULTS

Out of 101 participants (73.3% male with an average age of 35.1 ± 16 years), 51.5% were non-adherent to antituberculosis treatment. Medium or high level of concern about getting COVID-19 was associated with a higher prevalence of non-adherence to treatment (odds ratio: 1.68; 95 % confidence interval: 1.09-2.57) (adjusted for considered confounding variables).

CONCLUSIONS

Non-adherence is a frequent condition among patients living in an area with a high prevalence of tuberculosis in Lima, especially among those with a higher concern for COVID-19 infection.

Preventive measures and concern for SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with lifestyle changes in the Peruvian population

The study was conducted to establish the association between knowledge of preventive measures and concern about SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection and lifestyle changes in the Peruvian population during the health emergency. This was an analytical and cross-sectional study, with a voluntary non-probabilistic sample of 1101 Peruvian population over 18 years old, from the three regions of the country (Coast, Highlands, and Jungle) who answered the digital questionnaires between June and July 2021. The questionnaires "Knowledge about preventive measures on COVID-19″, PRE-COVID-19, and "Changes in lifestyles during the pandemic," instruments validated in the Peruvian population, were used to determine the association of the variables, the Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used, considering changes in lifestyles as the dependent variable. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of the participants, 57.4% were women, 42.6% were men, with an average age of 30.9 years (SD = 13.14). The descriptive analysis showed that 50.8% of the participants were not worried about SARS-CoV-2 infection, 72.2% knew about preventive measures, and 56.4% stated that they had changed their lifestyles during the pandemic. A significant association was found between educational level (p = 0.000), having a job (p = 0.048), and being worried about SARS-CoV-2 infection (p = 0.001) with lifestyle changes. In the regression analysis, technical/higher education (95% CI = 1.51-2.67) and being worried about SARS-CoV-2 infection (95% CI = 1.71-1.91) were associated with lifestyle changes during the pandemic. The greater the degree of education and concern or fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the greater the lifestyle changes.

Concern about the Spread of COVID-19 in Regular Basic Education Teachers When Returning to Face-to-Face Classes

During the health emergency caused by COVID-19, a series of sensations such as fear, stress, and concern about contracting the virus were developed. Despite the fact that in recent months infection rates have been significantly reduced due to vaccination campaigns, the return of teachers to face-to-face classes established in Peru from April 2022 has increased once again the fear that contagion levels could grow. Therefore, the objective was to analyze the concern of regular basic education teachers about the spread of COVID-19 when returning to face-to-face classes. A quantitative investigation was carried out; the research design was observational and the type of study was descriptive cross-sectional. The sample was made up of 648 teachers who responded to the Scale of Concern for the Contagion of COVID-19, an instrument with adequate psychometric properties. The results show that 43.8% of teachers had moderate levels of concern about the spread of COVID-19, 38.7% had low levels, and 17.5% had high levels. Teachers reported most recurrent concerns about some risks in educational institutions and the fear of spreading COVID-19 to their relatives or people with whom they lived. On the other hand, it was found that some sociodemographic, occupational, and medical variables were significantly associated with this concern (p < 0.05). Then, it was concluded that teachers had moderate levels of concern about the spread of COVID-19 when returning to face-to-face classes.

The Monkeypox Fear Scale: development and initial validation in a Peruvian sample

BACKGROUND

Fear is one of the basic emotions generated during periods of infectious diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale that assesses monkeypox fear, the Monkeypox Fear Scale (MFS).

METHODS

A total of 451 Peruvians participated (61% women and 39% men), with a mean age of 28.31 years (SD = 9.72). based on procedures from classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) procedures were used.

RESULTS

The results showed that MFS has a two-factor structure related to emotional and physiological fear factors (χ2 = 41.87; df = 12; p < .001; CFI = .99; TLI = .99; RMSEA = .074 [IC90% .051-.100]). In addition, the physiological and emotional factors showed good reliability. Measurement invariance analysis showed that the factor structure of the MFS is strictly invariant between male and female groups. Finally, the discrimination and difficulty parameters of the items show adequacy. In addition, the scale seems to be more accurate in measuring high levels of fear of monkeypox.

CONCLUSION

The MFS has adequate psychometric evidence to assess fear of monkeypox in the Peruvian population. These findings may guide future studies related to the consequences of monkeypox on mental health.

Anxiety, depression, stress, worry about COVID-19 and fear of loneliness during COVID-19 lockdown in Peru: A network analysis approach

This study aims to examine the relationships between symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, worry about COVID-19 and fear of loneliness during COVID-19 lockdown in Peru using network analysis. There were 854 participants aged 18 to 50 years (Mean = 36.54; SD = 9.23); 634 females (74.20%) and 220 males (25.80%), who completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Preoccupation with COVID-19 Contagion (PRE-COVID-19), Brief Scale of Fear of Loneliness (BSFL). A partial unregularized network was estimated through the ggmModSelect function. Expected influence (EI) and bridging EI values were calculated to identify central symptoms and bridging symptoms respectively. The results reveal those two symptoms of depression-stress and anxiety-were the most central symptoms in the network. Depressive symptoms are at the same time the most comorbid and it is shown that there are no differences in the network when compared between those who left home and those who did not leave home during lockdown. Depressive symptoms are concluded to be central and bridging in the network and interconnected with some symptoms of stress and anxiety. These findings may be important to understand the experience of COVID-19 lockdown in Peru.

Concern about COVID-19 among the Spanish population: Validation of a scale and associated symptoms

BACKGROUND

The health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a considerable increase in the psychopathology of COVID-19 patients and among the general population. This study aims to conduct the psychometric analysis of the scale of concern about COVID-19 in the Spanish population and to estimate the level of concern and dysfunctional anxiety present one year after the lockdown measures in Spain aimed at resisting the spread of the viral disease among the population.

METHODS

The factorial structure of the instrument, its reliability for the general population and for COVID patients, and its construct validity have been analyzed, and measurements of dysfunctional concern have been obtained from a sample of 502 adults.

RESULTS

The scale of concern about COVID-19 showed optimal results of reliability and validity for the Spanish population, confirming that it is an ideal instrument for estimating the concern regarding coronavirus contagion.

LIMITATIONS

This study used a cross-sectional design and thus, could not compare the changes in the incidence of anxiety symptoms before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, the use of mental health services prior to the COVID-19 restrictions was not assessed in this study, and therefore, no comparisons between the two time points could be made.

CONCLUSIONS

After a year of the confinement measures that was instilled to avoid further spread of the disease, the Spanish population presented levels of concern and anxiety that may require clinical attention, with a significant percentage of participants meeting the requirements to be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorders.

Impact of the fear of catching COVID-19 on mental health in undergraduate students: A Predictive Model for anxiety, depression, and insomnia

Most studies only describe mental health indicators (anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress) and the risk factors associated with these indicators during the pandemic (sex, student status, and specific physical symptoms). However, no explanatory studies have been found that assess the impact of variables associated with COVID-19. Against this background, the objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of the fear of catching COVID-19 on the level of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in 947 university students of both sexes (41.6% males and 58.4% females) between the ages of 18 and 35 (M = 21.6; SD = 3.4). The Fear of catching COVID-19 Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were used to measure the variables. The results of the study show that the fear of catching COVID-19 significantly influences the level of anxiety (β = .52; p < .01), insomnia (β = .44; p<.01), and depression (β = .50; p < .01) experienced by university students (χ2 = 2075.93; df = 371; p = .000; RMSEA = .070 [CI 90% .067-.073]; SRMR = .055; CFI = .95; TLI = .94). The descriptive results show that a notable percentage of university students present significant symptoms of anxiety (23%), depression (24%), and insomnia (32.9%). It is concluded that the fear of catching COVID-19 is a serious health problem since it influences the appearance of anxiety, depression and insomnia symptoms.

Development and validation of a scale to evaluate students' future impact perception related to the coronavirus pandemic (C-19FIPS)

During the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, economies around the world underwent unprecedented changes, which negatively limited young people’s perceptions of their future. The study aims to describe the development and validation of the 10-item COVID-19 Future Impact Perception Scale (C-19FIPS), a measurement tool to assess future impact perception related to COVID-19, among university students. Inductive and deductive approaches were used at the phase of the scale development process. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) applying two different SEM based analytical methods, covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) and variance based SEM (PLS-SEM) were used to explore and predict the data. The EFA output generated two dimensions with 10 items. The dimensions are Personal Perception (C-19 PF) and Country Perception (C-19 CF) that reflects the notion of Future Impact Perception related to COVID-19. The result of the CFA confirmed the EFA result. Based on the reliability and validity check results, it is apparent that the scale demonstrates good psychometric properties. Evidence was also provided for convergent and discriminant validity. The study provided a short, valid and reliable measure to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students’ future perceptions. Knowing how external situations influence the world of young people is useful for the development of targeted interventions that favor their well-being and that can support them in situations perceived as uncertain and risky. Limitations and future lines are discussed.

COVID-19 contagion concern scale (PRE-COVID-19): Validation in Cuban patients with type 2 diabetes

AIMS

It is important to have valid and reliable measures to determine the psychological impact of COVID-19 in patients with diabetes; however, few instruments have been developed and validated for this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to validate the Scale of Worry for Contagion of COVID-19 (PRE-COVID-19) in a sample of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 219 patients (66.2% female, mean age 58.5 SD = 18.2) participated, selected through non-probabilistic sampling. The PRE-COVID-19 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2 were applied. Reliability analysis was performed for internal consistency, structural equation modeling and item response theory modeling.

RESULTS

The results show that a unidimensional 5-item model presents satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices and excellent reliability values. Likewise, convergent validity between the PRE-COVID-19 and a measure of anxiety is evident. All items present adequate discrimination parameters, allowing for discerning between those patients with critical concern about COVID-19 contagion from those with severe concern.

CONCLUSION

It is concluded that the PRE-COVID-19 is an instrument with adequate psychometric properties to measure concern about COVID-19 infection and the emotional impact in patients with DM.

Distress, Depression, Anxiety, and Concerns and Behaviors Related to COVID-19 during the First Two Months of the Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in Adult MEXICANS

We examined longitudinal differences in the severity of distress, depression, anxiety, and concerns and behaviors related to COVID-19 during the first two months of this pandemic, correlations between these variables, and interactions of distress with significant sociodemographics across waves. A longitudinal online survey was conducted in the State of Mexico, from 8 April to 27 May, 2020, in a sample of men and women between 18 and 60 years old, using: Impact of Event Scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disoder-7, and a questionnaire of concerns and behaviors related to COVID-19. Six hundred seventy participants were analyzed. Only a mild difference in distress was observed between the two waves and mild correlations of this variable with contagion in oneself and in a relative. Having a high-risk medical condition proved a considerable effect on distress within both waves. Perception of usefulness of preventive measures, concerns of contagion in a relative, and financial and security situations scored high within our questionnaire but did not change in the follow-up. We hypothesize that habituation to distressful events in the Mexican population (emergent resilience) might explain the absence of meaningful differences. Our research adds to the monitoring of mental health in Mexicans during the COVID-19 pandemic; its findings can serve to perform comparisons in other studies and for further meta-analyses.