Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess the psychological impact and fearfulness of COVID-19 among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients

Mohemmad Redzuan Mohemmad Rizal; Syahrir Zaini; Norny Syafinaz  AB Rahman; Ramli  Musa

doi:10.31436/ijohs.v6i2.365

Authors

Mohemmad Redzuan Mohemmad Rizal Pharmaceutical Service Programme, Ministry of Health Malaysia & Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyah of Pharmacy, IIUM Kuantan, Malaysia.
Syahrir Zaini Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyah of Pharmacy, IIUM Kuantan, Malaysia & Qualitative Research Group, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, IIUM Malaysia.
Norny Syafinaz AB Rahman Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyah of Pharmacy, IIUM Kuantan, Malaysia.
Ramli Musa Department of Psychiatry, Kulliyah of Medicine, IIUM Kuantan, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31436/ijohs.v6i2.365

Keywords:

fearfulness, impact of COVID-19, mental health, psychological, questionnaire

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to a serious and uncertain condition, including an abrupt national economy and increased psychological distress especially among vulnerable population such as people living with HIV (PLHIV). Fear of infection, prolonged lockdown and isolation, and stigma merged with mental health burden for this group. This study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing the psychological impact and fearfulness related to COVID-19 among HIV patients. The questionnaire was developed through a comprehensive literature review, followed by expert validation and statistical reliability testing. Content and face validity were conducted by medical, psychological, and public health professionals. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were analysed using Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman correlation. The final questionnaire included two domains: psychological impact (10 items) and fearfulness (14 items), each with a Scale-Content Validity Index (S-CVI) of 1.0. Face validity scores exceeded 90% in clarity, readability, and layout. Cronbach’s alpha for psychological impact and fearfulness was 0.81 and 0.92, respectively. A test-retest correlation coefficient of 0.728 indicated strong stability. In conclusion, this validated questionnaire is a reliable tool for measuring psychological and emotional responses to COVID-19 among HIV patients, offering insight into their mental health needs during public health crises.

References

AlSamman, M., Caggiula, A., Ganguli, S., Misak, M., & Pourmand, A. (2020). Non-respiratory presentations of COVID-19: a clinical review. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 38(11), 2444–2454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2020.09.054

Armstrong, R. A. (2019). Should Pearson’s correlation coefficient be avoided? Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 39(5), 316–327. https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12636

Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., et al. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912–920. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8

Chen, G., Pine, D. S., Brotman, M. A., Smith, A. R., Cox, R. W., Haller, S. P. (2021). Trial and error: a hierarchical modeling approach to test-retest reliability. NeuroImage, 245, 118647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118647

Cortina, J. M. (1993). What is coefficient alpha? an examination of theory and applications. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(1), 98–104.

Hong, C., Queiroz, A., & Hoskin, J. (2023). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, associated factors and coping strategies in people living with HIV: A scoping review. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 26(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.26060

Liu, X., Zhu, M., Zhang, R., Zhang, J., Zhang, C., Liu, P., et al. (2021). Public mental health problems during COVID-19 pandemic: a large-scale meta-analysis of the evidence. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01501-9

Lusher, J., Abeldaño Zuñiga, R. A., Virtanen, J. I., Ellakany, P., Yousaf, M. A., Osamika, B. E., et al. (2023). The impact of COVID-19 on the emotion of people living with and without HIV. Hygiene, 3(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.3390/hygiene3010005

Serafini, G., Parmigiani, B., Amerio, A., Aguglia, A., Sher, L., Amore, M. (2020a). The psychological impact of COVID-19 on the mental health in the general population. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, 113(8), 229–235. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa201

Serafini, G., Parmigiani, B., Amerio, A., Aguglia, A., Sher, L., Amore, M. (2020b). The psychological impact of COVID-19 on the mental health in the general population. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, 113(8), 229–235. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa201

Shah, A. U. M., Safri, S. N. A., Thevadas, R., Noordin, N. K., Rahman, A. A., Sekawi, Z., et al. (2020). COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia: actions taken by the Malaysian government. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 97, 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.05.093

Tzur Bitan, D., Grossman-Giron, A., Bloch, Y., Mayer, Y., Shiffman, N., & Mendlovic, S. (2020). Fear of COVID-19 scale: psychometric characteristics, reliability and validity in the Israeli population. Psychiatry Research, 289, 113100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113100

World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic’s impact. Scientific Brief, 2(March), 1–11. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Sci_Brief-Mental_health-2022.1

Yusoff, S. M. F., & El-Masri, M. M. (2005). The content validity index: are you sure you know what’s being reported? critique and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health, 28(6), 488–495. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur