Evidence of validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the Coronavirus Reassurance-Seeking Behaviors Scale in the adults of Lima, Peru

Introduction and objectives: Safety seeking behaviors allow safety in the face of a potentially threatening situation. Thus, the objective was to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Coronavirus Reassurance-Seeking Behaviors Scale (CRSBS) in a sample of adults from Lima, Peru.
Method: 380 people participated (Age = 31.03 years; SD = 10.37) who answered the CRSBS and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). The content validity was evaluated, in addition to performing an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to evaluate the factorial structure of the CRSBS. Reliability was evaluated with the omega coefficient. A second CFA was performed to assess the convergent validity that related CRSBS and anxiety about COVID-19.
Results: The content evaluation indicated that the five items of the CRSBS are relevant, consistent and clear. The EFA and CFA indicated the presence of a one-dimensional model for the CRSBS with an adequate fit (χ2 = 26.73, gl= 5, p = .00, CFI = .99, RMSEA = .11 [IC90%: .07 - .15], SRMR = .04). Likewise, the model that related the CRSBS and the CAS had a good fit (χ 2 (34) = 91.29, p = .00, RMSEA = .05 [IC90%: .04 -.07], CFI = .93, SRMR = .04) and a positive and high correlation ( = .56, p < .001). Reliability was satisfactory (αordinal = .93; ω = .93).
Conclusion: The Spanish version of the CRSBS has evidence of reliability, content validity, internal structure and convergent validity.