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

• Published in: Diabetes & metabolic syndrome clinical research & reviews Vol. 15; no. 5; p. 102245
• Main Authors: Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás, Vilca, Lindsey W., Corrales-Reyes, Ibraín Enrique, Hernández-García, Frank, Pérez, Antonio Pupo, Quintana, Patricia González, Pérez García, Enrique Rolando, Lazo Herrera, Luis Alberto, White, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2021; Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety - diagnosis; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - etiology; Anxiety Disorders - diagnosis; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Anxiety Disorders - etiology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - psychology; Cuba; Cuba - epidemiology; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - psychology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Pandemics; Psychometrics - methods; Psychometrics - standards; Surveys and Questionnaires; Worry; Young Adult; Cuba; COVID-19; Cuba; Diabetes mellitus; Worry
• ISSN: 1871-4021; 1878-0334; 1878-0334
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102245

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). 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. 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. 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. •First study to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PRE-COVID-19 in a clinical sample using CTT and IRT procedures.•Measuring concern about the spread of COVID-19 allows us to know the impact of the pandemic on mental health.•Identifying levels of contagion concern would allow for potential risk groups to be located.•The PRE-COVID-19 differentiates between people with a critical and serious concern about the spread of COVID-19.