The COVID-19 Psychological Distress Scale (CPDS-16): development and initial validation

Verma, S, Sahni, SP, Pandey, KK and Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, 2024. The COVID-19 Psychological Distress Scale (CPDS-16): development and initial validation. Journal of Concurrent Disorders, 6 (1), pp. 112-124. ISSN 2562-7546

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Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused psychological distress among the Indian population. There are several scales that assess fear and distress related to COVID-19 among individuals. However, these scales are context-specific and lack multi-cultural environment applicability in countries such as India. Therefore, the present study developed a psychometric instrument to assess psychological responses to COVID-19 among the Indian population. A total of 420 participants (60.5% females, Mage=25.89 years) were recruited online using a convenience sampling technique. The 16-item COVID-19 Psychological Distress Scale (CPDS-16) was developed based on the extensive review of the existing scales on psychological constructs related to COVID-19 (yielding four scales with a total of 37 items) and independent review by two external experts. Internal consistency and reliability of the scale was established by using corrected item-total correlations, Cronbach's alpha, and McDonald's omega. Factor structure of the scale was determined by using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Convergent validity of the scale was established by correlating CPDS-16 scores with the three subscales of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Corrected item-total correlations (range = 0.43 to 0.70), Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.90), and McDonald's omega (ω = 0.89) provided evidence for very good internal consistency and reliability of the scale. EFA of the CPDS-16 demonstrated a two-factor structure identified as 'individual level distress' (10 items) and 'community level distress' (6 items). Convergent validity of the scale was established using the DASS-21 with statistically significant and positive correlations between CPDS-16 and the three DASS-21 subscales (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress). The CPDS-16 is a reliable and valid instrument in assessing psychological distress caused due to COVID-19 with robust psychometric properties. The scale can be administered rapidly and is useful in screening psychological distress caused due to COVID-19.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Concurrent Disorders
Creators:	Verma, S., Sahni, S.P., Pandey, K.K. and Griffiths, M.D.
Publisher:	Concurrent Disorders Society
Date:	2024
Volume:	6
Number:	1
ISSN:	2562-7546
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.54127/TZSJ4223 DOI 1630186 Other
Rights:	©2022 Verma, S., Sahni, S.P., Pandey, K.K., Griffiths, M.D. Licensee CDS Press, Toronto, Canada. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	03 Jan 2023 12:11
Last Modified:	29 Jul 2024 12:22
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/47709

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