Fear among Syrians: a Proposed Cutoff Score and Validation of the Arabic Fear of COVID-19 Scale- A National Survey (preprint)

Abstract: Background: COVID 19 pandemic has led to psychological health issues one of which is fear. This study validates the Arabic version of the fear of COVID 19 scale and suggests a new cutoff score to measure fear of COVID 19 among the Syrian Population. Methods: A total of 3989 participants filled an online survey consisting of socio-demographic information, the fear of COVID 19 scale, the patient health questionnaire 9-item, and the generalized anxiety disorder 7 item. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to define cutoff scores for the fear of COVID 19 scale in relation to generalized anxiety disorder 7 item and the patient health questionnaire 9 item. Results: The Cronbach alpha value of the Arabic fear of COVID 19 scale was 0.896, revealing good stability and internal consistency. The inter-item correlations were between [0.420 and 0.868] and the corrected item-total correlations were between [0.614 and 0.768]. A cutoff point of 17.5 was deduced from analysis. According to the deduced cutoff point, 2111(52.9%) were classified as cases with extreme fear Conclusion: This cutoff score deduced from this study can be used for screening purposes to identify individuals that may be most vulnerable towards developing extreme fear of COVID 19. Therefore, early preventive and supportive measures can then be delivered.

Psychological Impacts and Attitudes of the Syrian Population Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic and Face Masks During the First Syrian Lockdown (preprint)

Background This study assesses the attitudes and psychological impacts regarding COVID-19 and face masks among the Syrian population during the current pandemic and war.Methods A web-based cross-sectional Arabic survey design was employed. The survey was distributed in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and civil war in Syria. The survey contained items relating to socio-demographic characteristics and items assessing attitudes regarding COVID-19, and face masks. The chi-square test was applied to the questions against socio-demographic variables.Results Of the 4148 participants, 3053(73.6%) were female, and 3238(78.1%) were single. 423(10.2%) and 1573(37.9%) stated they had poor and moderate economic status respectively. Home quarantine has led to an increase in family problems 3016(72.7%) and has had a negative psychological impact upon 1666(40.2%) Syrians. 538(13.0%) are shy about wearing face masks in public.Conclusion Mountainous input from the Syrian government is needed to combat the threat of COVID-19 through targeted awareness campaigns and national helplines aimed at specific socio-demographic variables.