Zine.El.Abiddine Fares ,1 Ala'a B. Al-Tammemi ,2,3,4 Hesham F. Gadelrab,5,6 Chung-Ying Lin ,7,8,9 Musheer A. Aljaberi ,10,11,12 Amthal Alhuwailah,13 Mohammed Lakder Roubi14
Abstract
Objective To develop a psychometrically reliable
instrument to assess psychological distress during the
COVID-19 pandemic across Arab countries.
Design The new instrument was developed through the
review of relevant literature. We adapted multiple items
from the following tools: The Fear of COVID-19 Scale,
Social Phobia Inventory, Health Anxiety Inventory, Swine
Influenza Anxiety Scale and the Arabic Scale of Death
Anxiety to design our new assessment tool which is
called COVID-19 Psychological Distress Scale (CPDS). For
psychometric analyses and validation, we conducted a
cross-sectional study that solicited data through a web-
based survey using the newly developed CPDS.
Setting and participants This validation study was
conducted in four Arab countries, including Algeria, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia and Yemen. A total of 1337 participants from
these countries have voluntarily responded to our survey
questionnaire that included the newly developed scale.
Results The final version of the CPDS comprised 12
items. Participants from Algeria (n=447), Kuwait (n=437),
Saudi Arabia (n=160) and Yemen (n=293) have completed
the 12-item CPDS. Exploratory factor analysis (used on the
Algerian sample) suggested a two-factor structure of the
CPDS. The two-factor structure was then supported by the
confirmatory factor analysis with an independent sample.
Additionally, Rasch analyses showed that all the items fit
well in their embedded construct; only one item showed
somewhat substantial differential item functioning across
gender and country.
Conclusion The 12-item CPDS was found to be
measurement invariant across country and gender. The
CPDS, with its promising psychometric properties, might
help healthcare professionals to identify people with
COVID-19-induced psychological distress.
الدكتور محمد لخضر روبي | Dr.MOHAMMED LAKDAR ROUBI | 14674