Fear is an adaptive response that alerts individuals to the presence of a danger or threat. However, in the context of the current novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the fear experienced could be intense because the number of victims of the virus is continuously increasing globally and is inducing severe mental health concerns. The seven-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) assesses the severity of fear related to COVID-19 and has already been validated in many languages. The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Amharic (Ethiopian) version of the FCV-19S. An online survey including the Amharic versions of the FCV-19S and the six-item UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6) was administered to 307 Amharic-speaking participants using convenience sampling. The participants’ age ranged between 18 and 70 years. In the evaluation process, confirmatory factor analysis, Item Response Theory, concurrent validity, and reliabilities (Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, Guttman’s lambda, and composite reliability) of the Amharic version of the FCV-19S were performed. The uni-dimensional structure of the FCV-19S was confirmed and the Amharic version of the FCV-19S had strong psychometric properties. All reliability coefficients of the Amharic FCV-19S were satisfactory, with sound concurrent validity shown by significant and positive correlations with loneliness. The results indicate that the FCV-19S can be used in research to assess the fear of COVID-19 among Amharic-speaking populations.
The present study investigates the mediating role of sense of control in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and flourishing. A cross-sectional study design was employed and a total of 368 international students studying in Turkey consented to voluntarily take part in the study. The participants who were identified using convenience sampling completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Flourishing Scale, and Sense of Control Scale after providing written informed consent. Results indicated that sense of control was positively correlated with fear of COVID-19 and flourishing. It was also observed that a negative correlation was found between the fear of COVID-19 and flourishing. Mediation analysis revealed that sense of control partially mediates the association between fear of COVID-19 and flourishing. The study encourages mental health professionals to consider the role of sense of control in their psychological interventions to reduce fear of COVID-19 and enhance flourishing among international students.
e-business and, health delivery services related trends could be among the indicators of the changes in people's beliefs and behaviors during the pandemic outbreak. Thus, despite the unpredictable effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that people could find ways amid the sufferings and learn how to transform emotionally overwhelming experiences into learning opportunities.Adaptability to uncertainty and learning to live a more cautious life have become more familiar than the prepandemic periods. However, studies tend to focus on the adverse consequences of the COVID-19 on the psychological functioning of the public (Ahorsu et al., 2020; Arpaci et al., 2020) and little is paid attention to the inherent potential of individuals to thrive despite the adversities. In every individual, there is an inherent potential to thrive, not just survive the adversities (Seligman, 2011). By taking control of how they perceive adversity and develop resilience, individuals may be inspired to engage in sense-making even in the COVID-19 pandemic.However, not everyone has the ability to develop their best selves, endure adversity, and overcome challenges.
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