# Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Storm Fear Questionnaire in Brazilian Pregnant Women Exposed to an Extreme Climate Event

## TL;DR

The study translated and validated a questionnaire to measure fear of storms in Brazilian postpartum women affected by extreme weather events.

## Contribution

The study provides a validated Brazilian version of the Storm Fear Questionnaire for assessing storm-related fear in postpartum women.

## Key findings

- The Brazilian SFQ showed excellent acceptability and high internal consistency in 268 postpartum women.
- SFQ scores correlated strongly with posttraumatic stress symptoms and moderately with depressive symptoms.
- The SFQ differentiated between groups based on flood exposure and explained 35.2% of the variance in fear of storms.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
The Brazilian version of the SFQ showed excellent acceptability and high internal consistency in a sample of 268 postpartum women exposed to an extreme storm-related event.SFQ total scores correlated strongly with posttraumatic stress symptoms and moderately with depressive symptoms, supporting evidence of convergent validity.

The Brazilian version of the SFQ showed excellent acceptability and high internal consistency in a sample of 268 postpartum women exposed to an extreme storm-related event.

SFQ total scores correlated strongly with posttraumatic stress symptoms and moderately with depressive symptoms, supporting evidence of convergent validity.

What are the implications of the main findings?
There is a need to assess fear of storms in populations exposed to extreme weather events and their mental health outcomes, given the increasing occurrence of events related to these phenomena.The Brazilian version of the SFQ enables standardized screening and monitoring of fear of storms in a context recently impacted by a large-scale flood.The Brazilian version of the SFQ supports the use of a reliable total score to assess the severity of fear of storms and to differentiate known groups based on flood exposure.The instrument may facilitate clinical screening and research on fear of storms and disaster mental health in Brazil.

There is a need to assess fear of storms in populations exposed to extreme weather events and their mental health outcomes, given the increasing occurrence of events related to these phenomena.

The Brazilian version of the SFQ enables standardized screening and monitoring of fear of storms in a context recently impacted by a large-scale flood.

The Brazilian version of the SFQ supports the use of a reliable total score to assess the severity of fear of storms and to differentiate known groups based on flood exposure.

The instrument may facilitate clinical screening and research on fear of storms and disaster mental health in Brazil.

Background: Extreme weather events, such as storms, may evoke intense fear in individuals and impair their daily functioning, resulting in significant distress. In Brazil, recent climate-related disasters have highlighted the need to assess storm fear in the population. Objective: This study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate the Storm Fear Questionnaire (SFQ) for the Brazilian context. Methods: Translation and adaptation were conducted, followed by back-translation, review by an expert panel, and acceptability assessment by the target population. For the psychometric evaluation, a sample of 268 postpartum women exposed to a flood in southern Brazil completed the SFQ and the following questionnaires: the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), and the Pregnancy Experience Scale—Brief Version (PES-Brief). Results: The instrument showed excellent acceptability in the target population and good content validity. Regarding criterion validity, Pearson correlations indicated high convergence between the SFQ and PCL-5 and moderate convergence with the BDI-II. Regarding construct validity, SFQ scores were significantly higher among postpartum women who had to leave their homes due to the flood or had their houses affected by floodwaters. The first factor generated in the factor analysis explained 35.2% of the variance, with 14 out of 15 items presenting loadings greater than 0.40. Internal consistency was high (α = 0.88). Conclusions: The Brazilian version of the SFQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing fear of storms. Future studies are needed to evaluate the instrument’s applicability in diverse populations across the country.