Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is having a profound effect on mental health and it is therefore fundamental to evaluate individual psychological responses to COVID-19. The 7-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) assesses different aspects of the fear of coronavirus and has been applied worldwide. This study aimed to translate and validate the FCV-19S in the Portuguese population. The scale was administered to a convenience sample of 1203 Portuguese adults. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out on the initial model proposed by the authors of the FCV-19S. Further analysis revealed that the Portuguese version has good psychometric properties.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the reviewers for the insightful comments and suggestions that contributed to the improvement of this work. The third author was partially supported by the research unit Center of Mathematics and Applications of University of Beira Interior UIDB/00212/2020 - FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia).
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that they have no potential conflict of interest.