This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Scale of Fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S) in a sample of 1,291 Argentines. The two-related factor structure of the FCV-19S had satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices using structural equation modeling and item response theory. Further results showed that the reliability was adequate, the factor structure was strictly invariable across age groups, and the model that evaluated the relationships between fear of COVID-19, anxiety, and depression had adequate goodness of fit indices as well. The results indicated that FCV-19S has strong psychometric properties to measure fear of COVID-19 in the general population of Argentina.

There is no information in Peru on the prevalence of mental health problems associated with COVID-19 in older adults. In this sense, the aim of the study was to gather evidence on the factor structure, criterion-related validity, and reliability of the Spanish version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale in this population. The participants were 400 older adults (mean age = 68.04, SD = 6.41), who were administered the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Revised Mental Health Inventory-5, Patient Health Questionnaire-2 items, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale 2 items. Structural equation models were estimated, specifically confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), bifactor CFA, and structural models with latent variables (SEM). Internal consistency was estimated with composite reliability indexes (CRI) and omega coefficients. A bifactor model with both a general factor underlying all items plus a specific factor underlying items 1, 2, 4, and 5 representing the emotional response to COVID better represents the factor structure of the scale. This structure had adequate fit and good reliability, and additionally fear of COVID had a large effect on mental health. In general, women had more fear than men, having more information on COVID was associated to more fear, while having family or friends affected by COVID did not related to fear of the virus. The Spanish version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale presents evidence of validity and reliability to assess fear of COVID-19 in the Peruvian older adult population. Keywords Older adults . Reliability . Fear of COVID-19 . Bifactor model . Validity COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has spread rapidly throughout the world (Huang and Zhao 2020), affecting 188 countries with 13,135,616 confirmed cases and 573,869 of deaths, and increasing (data obtained from https:// coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html, on July 17, 2020). This disease presents a higher risk of mortality in people with comorbidity and older adults (Morley and Vellas 2020). In Latin

Ante la rápida expansión del nuevo coronavirus (COVID-19) en todo el planeta, este artículo presenta un conjunto de propuestas elaboradas por psicólogas y psicólogos de América Latina que buscan abordar este fenómeno desde una perspectiva regional. En este sentido, se exponen tópicos como el problema de la sobreinformación y el impacto de los protocolos sanitarios sobre la salud mental en diversos ámbitos y sectores de la población. Se propone aquí, además de reunir algunos conocimientos aportados por investigaciones previas y difundir un conjunto de recursos para mitigar o paliar los efectos de la pandemia, contribuir con algunas reflexiones respecto del rol de psicólogas y psicólogos como profesionales de la salud en esta situación de crisis, así como advertir o apelar a los organismos nacionales e internacionales correspondientes.

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Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the fear of COVID-19 scale in seven Latin American countries Tom as Caycho-Rodr ıguez a

The implementation of a vaccine against COVID-19 is one of the most important health strategies to mitigate the spread of the disease. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and its predictors in older Peruvian adults. This is a cross-sectional study, where information was collected through an online survey regarding vaccination intention of the participants, as well as sociodemographic and psychological variables. A multiple regression analysis was applied to identify predictors of intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We evaluated 245 participants, who had a mean age of 72.74 years old (SD = 6.66). 65.5% of these older adults expressed a high likelihood of accepting vaccination, while 20.9% expressed a low likelihood of accepting vaccination, and 13.6% were hesitant. Eleven predictors were identified that explained 66.69% of the intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. This identified place of residence, perceived likelihood of contracting COVID-19, severity of previous infection with COVID-19, fear of the disease, previous refusal of a vaccine, concerns about vaccine sales and speculation, and trust toward vaccines against COVID-19, as the main predictors. Our results show that confidence in vaccines and previous vaccine refusal are relevant predictors of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in older adults; these findings may be useful to guide the development of campaigns for the immunization of this vulnerable group in the current pandemic.

Objective:The new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has spread to 180 countries, causing more than half a million confirmed cases and more than 40 thousand deaths. The main objective of this study was to analyze the world scientific production related to COVID-19. Material and Method: A literature search was performed using the Scopus database. A total of 547 published documents were identified, analyzing characteristics such as: type of publication, collaboration index, most productive countries, scientific journals, the institutions that are publishing the most on the subject and indicators of citations and impact. Results: China was ranked first with 213 published documents (20.9%). Regarding the journals with the higher number of published documents, these were

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global health crisis. The scientific community has responded with a sizable level of research and publications, many of which are beginning to be identified and analyzed in systematic reviews of the literature and bibliometric studies. No readily identifiable, comparable study focused on Latin American scientific literature has been undertaken thus far. Therefore, this article analyzes such literature, focused on COVID-19, and one that has been published in the scientific journals of the region. A search with the keyword "COVID-19" in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) database resulted in the identification of 261 documents. Following PRISMA guidelines, the total number was reduced to 117 for the purpose of the bibliometric analysis (i.e., elimination of preprint duplicates). Such analysis resulted in the following findings: 69 publications were editorial or individual commentaries, and 48 were original articles. The male authors totaled 280, contrasted with 169 female authors. Two Brazilian journals led in the number of publications: Cadernos de Saúde Pública and Clinics. Even though the Latin American scientific productivity regarding COVID-19 is not well represented in the different databases of the region, it is expected that these scientific publications will achieve increased visibility in the coming months. The article emphasizes the importance of systematic and bibliographic reviews of the scientific literature in Latin America in order to evaluate the public health achievements of the region.