@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2008-2630    Iranian Journal of War & Public Health 2020;12(4):235-240

Background
Unlike infections, such as the flu, the media introduced COVID-19 as a unique threat with psychological consequences [1].
Previous Studies
A reasonable level of attention and consideration on information about COVID-19 can help people to maintain proper safety during this crisis. However, extreme worrying thoughts about this infectious disease can be debilitating and unhealthy [2]. ... [3-10]. According to Beck, distortion in information processing causes the person to be affected by the threats and thinks that the threat cannot be countered, and will eventually lead to anxiety and distress [11]. Due to the constant stream of news about COVID-19 and changes in lifestyle patterns that have become seemingly inevitable, efforts have been made to develop a reliable and valid tool for examining the cognitive processes associated with the disease, resulting in the development of the Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale by Lee called [12]. ... [13, 14].
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale.
Research type
This research is applied in terms of purpose and in terms of methodology, it was correlational descriptive-survey research of validation type.
Research society, place and time
From June to September 2020, 392 cases aged over 18 years participated in the study online (due to traffic restrictions because of the COVID-19 in Iran). The selected individuals included parents and other family members of students who referred to schools in District 1 of Kermanshah, as well as graduate students (4320 cases).
Sampling method and number
To develop a scale, 350 people have been suggested as a suitable sample size for scales with less than 20 items [15]; therefore, considering the possible losses and sample size, the scale was sent to 505 people. Access to smart gadgets and membership in one of the 3 messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, and Soroush) was required to participate in the research, and people who had a history of mental illness (and accordingly they referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist) or completed questionnaires in less than 10 minutes (depending on the number of questions and taking about 40 seconds per question) were excluded from the study
Used devices&materials
The following three questionnaires were used: Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire: The questionnaire included questions about age, number of children, educational status, employment status, marital status, and asked the following questions: 1. Were they at home or at work during quarantine? 2. Is there at least one first-degree family member or friend who developed COVID-19? 3. Is there at least one family member or close friend who died of COVID-19? 4. Are you or at least one of your family members at high risk for COVID-19?, and 5. Was your city at one of the high-risk areas during the last month (at the time of response)? Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale: The initial version of this scale was created by Lee to investigate the repetitive and annoying thoughts caused by COVID-19 as a 4-item scale scoring on a 5-point Likert scale and was found with good validity and reliability in two American samples [12]. In translating this scale into Persian, the researchers used the recommendations of the MPAi Research Institute [15, 16]. … [17]. Fear of COVID-19 Scale: this scale was first surveyed online by Ahursu et al. [18] in a sample of 717 Iranian general population and it is a 7-item self-report tool that examines the level of fear caused by COVID-19 and is scored on a 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). The Cronbach's alpha of the instrument in the present study was 0.872 and the rate of the split-half coefficient was 0.832. Data analysis was performed in two parts: descriptive (frequency and mean) and inferential. In the inferential section, using SPSS 25 statistical software, the reliability of the instrument was assessed by internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha and half-split methods and its validity was assessed by confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis and using orthogonal rotations, like varimax rotation through the Lisrel 8.8 software. In order to evaluate the difference between genders regarding the scores of Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale, the t-test was used, and analysis of variance test (ANOVA) was used to examine the differences in age, occupation, and education, and the number of children regarding the whole scale. Leven’s test was also used to examine the homogeneity of variances
Findings by Text
Out of 392 questionnaires, 6 questionnaires were not completely filled in and were removed from the analysis process, and finally, 386 questionnaires were included in the analysis, which indicates a relatively high level of cooperation (76% response rate). Demographic findings showed that 161 cases (41.7%) were male and 225 (58.3%) were female. Other demographic information was reported in Table 1 and descriptive indices (mean, skewness, and kurtosis), fear of COVID-19, and COVID-19-related obsession are reported in Table 2. The results of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test showed that the data distribution was normal (p=0.061). The significance level of Leven’s test for COVID-19-related obsession scores according to both genders (p=0.442), different age groups (p=0.246), different occupations (p=0.284), different educational levels (p=0.371), different groups of the subjects based on marital status (p=0.361), and based on the number of children (p=0.854) confirmed the assumption of homogeneity of variance of the scores. There was no significant difference between genders in COVID-19-related obsession (p=0.652). Also, there was a significant difference between COVID-19-related obsession and age (p=0.189), occupation (p=0.807), education (p=0.545), marital status (p=0.412), and number of children (p=0.955). The respondents simultaneously filled in the Fear of COVID-19 Scale to evaluate the convergent validity. Pearson correlation between these two scales was equal to 0.25 with a significance level of 0.01 and showed an appropriate correlation and confirmed the convergence validity of this scale. Preliminary results of the analysis of main components showed that all questions had an appropriate factor load and should not be deleted from the scale. After performing factor analysis, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (0.756) and Bartlett's test of sphericity (508.212) were significant at the level of 0.001; therefore, considering the high value of KMO and significance of Bartlett's test of sphericity, the correlation matrix was suitable for factor analysis. The calculated determinant (0.265) was also suitable for entering into a factor analysis. The initial statistical characteristics obtained by the analysis of main components showed that eigenvalues>1 and this factor explained about 63% of the total variance. The Scree plot also confirmed the existence of eigenvalues>1 (Figure 1). Four items were loaded on one factor and all factor loads were significant at a 99% confidence level (p<0.01, t=2.58; Table 3). After identifying the factors through exploratory factor analysis, the correctness of exploratory analysis of this structure was checked with confirmatory factor analysis and the results showed that the measurement model of this structure was appropriate (Figure 2). The obtained model was consistent with the research data and the final model had the necessary validity to measure the Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale was 0.797 and indicated a high and appropriate reliability coefficient of the test. The reliability coefficient using the half-split method was 0.771 and appropriate.
Main comparison to the similar studies
The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale. In general, the fit indices of the model indicated a good fit of the data with factor structure of the Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale., which was consistent with the findings obtained from the American, Pakistani, and Turkish populations.
Suggestions
It is suggested that other researchers examine its psychometric properties in other populations (especially compared with the clinical population) to enhance the diagnostic value of this scale and also using other psychological, social, and medical concepts and variables.
Limitations
Due to the widespread outbreak of the disease in Iran at the time of this study, face-to-face sampling was not possible.
Conclusions
Based on the results, the Obsession with the COVID-19 Scale can be used as a suitable measurement tool in relevant research.
Acknowledgments
Researchers appreciate all who contributed to the completion of the questionnaires.
Conflict of interest
None declared.
Ethical Permissions
The research was approved (521-32) by the Research Ethics Committee of Bu Ali Sina University of Hamadan.
Funding Sources
This research was supported by the authors.

TABLES and CHARTS

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