Psychometric Properties of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale at the Peak of Delta Virus

Due to the significance of the side effects of fear of COVID-19, a high-quality and intercultural instrument is helpful to understand the outcomes of health at the global level. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the psychometrics of the fear of COVID-19 scale in a larger population than in previous studies using reliable and valid psychometric indexes. The present study was conducted with a cross-sectional design using convenience sampling during the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Iran. Data were collected online through social networks among the general Iranian population (926 people). Construct validation was performed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. To evaluate the construct reliability, composite reliability and internal consistency were used. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a one-factor structure which accounted for 53.69% of the total variance of fear of COVID-19 in the general Iranian population. Confirmatory factor analysis fit indices confirmed the first-order model. As such, the coefficients of Cronbach’s alpha, Omega McDonald, AIC, H index, and CR confirmed the internal consistency of the overall scale (>0.77). Moreover, the extracted factor had good d convergent validity. Psychometrics of the fear of COVID-19 scale at the peak of the COVID outbreak (the fifth wave) showed evidence of reliability and validity in the general population. Therefore, this scale is reliable and is recommended to examine people's fears at different times and during severe crises.