Preliminary COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire: Systemic Sclerosis and Chronic Medical Conditions Versions

Abstract

Objective: People with chronic medical conditions are at risk of complications and mortality during the COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding mental health implications, including effects of isolation and movement restrictions, should consider specific fears and level of fear experienced. No questionnaires or scales, however, have been developed for this purpose. We sought input from people living with the chronic autoimmune disease systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) on items for inclusion in a preliminary version of the COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire for Systemic Sclerosis, which we also adapted for a preliminary general version, the COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire for Chronic Medical Conditions.Methods: We solicited lists of general and disease-specific fears during COVID-19 from people with SSc via social media and postings by patient organizations. Respondents could provide between 1 and 10 fears via a Qualtrics survey. We used content analysis to generate initial item themes. Selection of items for inclusion, item content, and item wording were done iteratively via email discussion among research team members and the project’s patient advisory team. Items were then adapted for the general chronic diseases version.Results: A total of 121 respondents from 10 countries provided a mean and median of 4 item suggestions. The preliminary COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire for Systemic Sclerosis includes 16 items, and the general version includes 15 items.Conclusion: The COVID-19 Fears Questionnaire for Systemic Sclerosis will be validated via a cohort study, and other researchers are encouraged to validate the general version. Suggestions are made to facilitate rapid sharing of methods and results.

Validation of the COVID-19 Fears Questionnaires for Chronic Medical Conditions: A Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network COVID-19 Cohort study

“…Prior to launching the SPIN COVID-19 Cohort, SPIN announced in English and French via its Facebook page and Twitter and by sharing with patient organization partners that it was seeking to identify fears experienced by people with scleroderma during the COVID-19 crisis [ 4 ]. The announcement was posted on March 26, 2020 and accessible for 72 h. Respondents were directed to an online Qualtrics survey that allowed them to enter between 1 and 10 fears.…”

“…Mean number of item suggestions was 4.0 (standard deviation = 2.3); median was 4 (25th percentile = 2; 75th percentile = 5). Original survey data can be found at https://osf.io/ka43f/ [ 4 ].…”

“…Fear of oneself or close relatives becoming infected is common among people exposed to any infectious disease outbreak [ 2 ]. During COVID-19, there may also be widespread fear that health care systems will not have adequate capacity and that appropriate medical care will not be available if one becomes infected, that isolation will be long-lasting with a heavy toll on mental health and social functioning, and that individual and public economic resources will not be sufficient or will not recover post-pandemic [ [3] , [4] , [5] ].…”

Curating evidence on mental health during COVID-19: A living systematic review

“…Fear of personal infection or infection of friends and family members is common among people exposed to any infectious disease outbreak [2]. For COVID-19, there are additional fears that health care systems may be overrun and that adequate medical care will not be available for all those affected; that isolation and movement restrictions will be long-lasting with a heavy toll on mental health and well-being, social functioning, and work; and that individual and societal economic resources will be insufficient or will not recover any time soon [3,4].…”

Does persistent meditation and physical activity mediate the relationship between perceptions of COVID-19 and mental health? A cross sectional survey of mobile app users in the United States.

“…[2,3] In an April 2020 review of the existing literature on COVID-19 and mental health, moderate to severe levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety were reported in 16-28% of the general population and medical staff in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4] Additionally, fear and worry about COVID-19 is common [5] with many citing worries related to personal infection or the infection of family members, [6,7] an overrun health care system, nancial losses without recovery anytime soon, [8,9] and long-lasting isolation and movement restrictions. [10] There is previous data to suggest regional differences across the US in COVID-19 related fear and mental health (i.e., anxiety and depressive symptoms) with greater symptoms in regions with higher con rmed cases namely the Northeast New England, Northeast Mid-Atlantic, South-South Atlantic, and West Paci c regions (survey data collected March 23, 2020).…”