Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar 31;4(1):e6137.
doi: 10.32872/cpe.6137. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Fear of Becoming Infected and Fear of Doing the Wrong Thing - Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Further Validation of the Multidimensional Assessment of COVID-19-Related Fears (MAC-RF)

Branka Bagarić  1 , Nataša Jokić-Begić  2
Affiliations

Fear of Becoming Infected and Fear of Doing the Wrong Thing - Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Further Validation of the Multidimensional Assessment of COVID-19-Related Fears (MAC-RF)

Branka Bagarić et al. Clin Psychol Eur. .

Abstract

Background: With the COVID-19 infection speeding around the world, many experience fear and anxiety. To detect those at risk of psychopathology and provide treatment, valid instruments are needed. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally validate the theory-based instrument Multidimensional Assessment of COVID-19-Related Fears (MAC-RF) in Croatian and to further examine the scale's validity by exploring its relationship with relevant constructs.

Method: A total of 477 participants completed an online survey during a rapid rise in new daily COVID-19 cases in Croatia and while new restrictions were being imposed.

Results: MAC-RF had a stronger association with health anxiety, cyberchondria, and anxiety sensitivity compared to depression, attesting to its convergent and divergent validity. However, a 2-factor structure was revealed in this sample: Fear of infection and Fear of using an inadequate strategy in dealing with pandemic. Fear of infection had a stronger association with health anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety and was a better predictor of COVID-19 related protective health behaviors. Fear of choosing an inadequate strategy had a stronger association with cyberchondria, fear of consequences of the epidemic on mental health, as well as financial consequences, and loss of civil liberties.

Conclusion: Fear of infection captures negative emotional states due to feared consequences on personal somatic health and the health of loved ones, while Fear of choosing an inadequate strategy in dealing with the pandemic reflects a metacognitive aspect. Treatments may have to target both aspects of COVID-19 related fear.

Keywords: COVID-19 fear; MAC-RF; cyberchondria; health anxiety; scale validity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Standardized Parameter Estimates of the Accepted 2-Factor Model of the MAC-RF (N = 477)
Note. All parameters are significant at p < .001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bagarić B., Jokić-Begić N. (2022). Supplementary materials to "Fear of becoming infected and fear of doing the wrong thing – Cross-cultural adaptation and further validation of the multidimensional assessment of COVID-19-related fears" [Research data]. PsychOpen. 10.23668/psycharchives.5408 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ahorsu, D. K., Lin, C.-Y., Imani, V., Saffari, M., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2020). The fear of COVID-19 scale: Development and initial validation. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. Advance online publication. 10.1007/s11469-020-00270-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alberts, N. M., Hadjistavropoulos, H. D., Jones, S. L., & Sharpe, D. (2013). The Short Health Anxiety Inventory: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 27(1), 68–78. 10.1016/j.janxdis.2012.10.009 - DOI - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure—Adult. Arlington, VA, USA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
    1. Arpaci, I., Karataş, K., & Baloğlu, M. (2020). The development and initial tests for the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). Personality and Individual Differences, 164, 110108. 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110108 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources