# Validation of the Canadian English and French Versions of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale in Quebec Nursing Staff

## TL;DR

This study validates the English and French versions of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale among Quebec nursing staff, showing it can detect traumatic stress and anxiety.

## Contribution

The study validates the FCV-19S for use in Canadian nursing staff and highlights its better accuracy in detecting traumatic stress.

## Key findings

- The FCV-19S has a one-factor structure with good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.87).
- The scale shows better accuracy in detecting traumatic stress (AUC 0.75) than anxiety symptoms (AUC 0.65).
- The FCV-19S may need adaptation for use in nursing staff during future pandemics.

## Abstract

Nursing staff have been at the forefront of the pandemic, reporting high traumatic stress and anxiety levels related to high fear of COVID-19. Recommendations from previous studies include using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) as a screening tool to identify any individuals who may benefit from targeted psychological support. Thus far, the accuracy of the Canadian English and French versions of FCV-19S to detect high levels of traumatic stress and anxiety symptoms has not been examined. The objectives of this methodological psychometric study were to examine among nursing staff: (a) the structure and internal consistency of the Canadian versions of the FCV-19S and (b) its ability in detecting high levels of traumatic stress and anxiety symptoms. An anonymous online survey was distributed among nursing staff (n = 387) in the province of Quebec (Canada). This survey included the FCV-19S and scales measuring their traumatic stress (PCL-5) and anxiety symptoms (GAD-7). Exploratory factor analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. The one-factor structure of the FCV-19S was supported (Cronbach alpha = 0.87). The FCV-19S showed better accuracy for the detection of traumatic stress (area under the curve (AUC) 0.75 [95% CI 0.68, 0.82]) in comparison to anxiety symptoms (AUC 0.65 [95% CI 0.60, 0.74]). The FCV-19S may benefit from adaptation for its use in nursing staff and in a future pandemic context.