Evaluating the Factorial Validation of Coronavirus 2019 Phobia Scale in a Sample of Nigerian Medical Students

ABSTRACT

Background/Objective: Coronavirus-2019 (Covid-19) emerged in December 2019, causing major changes in people's social lives and other human activities. In Nigeria, there is no scale for evaluating Covid-19 fear. The 20-item Covid-19 phobia scale (C19PS) created by Arpaci et al. was validated in this study (2020). Method: The validation of the C19PS was done using 347 Nigeran medical students from universities in southeast Nigeria, and the data gathered were subjected to principal factoring axis (PFA) analysis with varimax rotation to explore its exploratory factor analysis. Besides, the confirmatory factor analysis of C19PS was done using structural equation modelling. The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and comparative fit index (CFI) were used to assess the model's fit to the data. Results: In a sample of Nigerian medical students, C19PS was shown to have strong overall reliability (α =.817) and model fit (RMSEA =.040, CFI =.968). Conclusion: The C19PS is a reliable tool for determining whether or not someone has Covid-19 phobia.