RESUMEN
Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) is a widely used measure that captures somatic symptoms of coronavirus-related anxiety. In a large-scale collaboration spanning 60 countries (Ntotal = 21,513), we examined the CAS's measurement invariance and assessed the convergent validity of CAS scores in relation to the fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S) and the satisfaction with life (SWLS-3) scales. We utilized both conventional exact invariance tests and alignment procedures, with results revealing that the single-factor model fit the data well in almost all countries. Partial scalar invariance was supported in a subset of 56 countries. To ensure the robustness of results, given the unbalanced samples, we employed resampling techniques both with and without replacement and found the results were more stable in larger samples. The alignment procedure demonstrated a high degree of measurement invariance with 9% of the parameters exhibiting noninvariance. We also conducted simulations of alignment using the parameters estimated in the current model. Findings demonstrated reliability of the means but indicated challenges in estimating the latent variances. Strong positive correlations between CAS and FCV-19S estimated with all three different approaches were found in most countries. Correlations of CAS and SWLS-3 were weak and negative but significantly differed from zero in several countries. Overall, the study provided support for the measurement invariance of the CAS and offered evidence of its convergent validity while also highlighting issues with variance estimation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Asunto(s)
Ansiedad , COVID-19 , Humanos , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Psicometría/métodos , Ansiedad/diagnóstico , COVID-19/diagnóstico , MiedoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study aimed to validate the Portuguese version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and investigate its association with sociodemographic and pandemic-related variables in the population of Mozambique. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey recruited 387 Mozambicans aged 18 to 70 years. The psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the FCV-19S were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis and Rash analysis. Additionally, the association of the FCV-19S with sociodemographic and pandemic-related variables was investigated using the two-sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and logistic regression. RESULTS: The unidimensional factor structure of the Portuguese version of the FCV-19S was confirmed, and the scale showed good internal consistency reliability. The FCV-19S properties tested from the Rasch analysis were satisfactory. Women and those with lower education levels had higher scores of fear. Moreover, significantly higher levels of fear were observed among those being in an at-risk group for COVID-19, having family members or friends diagnosed or with death confirmed by COVID-19, and not being confident that they would receive adequate care from the public health services in case of COVID-19 infection. CONCLUSION: The Portuguese version of FCV-19S has strong psychometric properties and can be used to assess the fear of COVID-19 in the Portuguese-speaking population of Mozambique. As the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health represents a challenge to clinical psychiatry, and information on mental health in African countries is still scarce, our findings may assist in the planning of public mental health policies, aimed mainly at specific segments of the population, such as women and people in extreme poverty.
RESUMEN
A construção social do gênero feminino em Moçambique está baseada na submissão ao homem, influenciando a vulnerabilidade de gênero à infecção pelo HIV. Objetivou-se analisar a percepção de pessoas vivendo com HIV/aids (PVHA) e de profissionais de saúde (PS), da cidade de Maputo, em relação à vulnerabilidade de gênero e infecção pelo HIV. Participaram 33 PVHA e 15 PS, selecionados por conveniência, mediante a realização de grupos focais e de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Dois eixos temáticos nortearam a análise: vulnerabilidade de gênero e práticas culturais tradicionais. A análise de conteúdo dos relatos verbais permitiu concluir que a vulnerabilidade feminina é maior, segundo a quase totalidade dos participantes, delineando categorias como submissão da mulher, dificuldade para negociar o uso do preservativo e influência das práticas culturais. O estudo possibilitou compreender melhor o contexto de vulnerabilidades que afetam cidadãos de Maputo, em especial as mulheres, em um país de prevalência elevada da epidemia.
La construcción social del género femenino en Mozambique se basa en la sumisión al hombre, que influyen en la vulnerabilidad de género para la infección por VIH. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la percepción de las personas que viven con el VIH/ SIDA (PVVS) y profesionales de la salud (PS), de la ciudad de Maputo, en relación con la vulnerabilidad de género y la infección por VIH. Participaron 33 PVVS y 15 PS, seleccionados por conveniencia, mediante la realización de grupos focales y entrevistas semi-estructuradas. Dos temas principales guiaron el análisis: la vulnerabilidad de género y las prácticas culturales tradicionales. El análisis de contenido de los informes verbales concluyó que la vulnerabilidad de las mujeres es mayor, según la mayoría de los participantes, destacando categorías como la sumisión de las mujeres, dificultad para negociar el uso del condón y la influencia de las prácticas culturales. El estudio ha permitido comprender mejor el contexto de las vulnerabilidades que afectan a los ciudadanos de Maputo, especialmente las mujeres, en un país con alta prevalencia de la epidemia.
The social construction of female gender based on submission to men has an effect in gender vulnerability to HIV infection. The study aimed to analyze the perception of people living with HIV / AIDS (PLWHA) and health professionals (HP) in Maputo, regarding to gender vulnerability to HIV infection. 33 PLWHA and 15 HP were randomly selected to participate in focus groups and interviews. Two main topics guided the analysis: gender vulnerability to HIV infection and traditional cultural practices. Qualitative analyses of verbal reports concluded that women vulnerability is greater according to almost all participants, due to women submission, lack of power to negotiate condom use, as well as the weight of cultural practices. The study enabled us to better understand the context of vulnerabilities affecting citizens of Maputo, especially women, in a country with a high prevalence of the epidemic.