Development of a COVID-19 Disease Risk Perception Scale

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected several areas of society, such as social life, the economy, education, and the provision of health services. The need to evaluate individuals’ risk perception has assumed particular importance in this situation in which people find themselves. Objectives: This study aimed to develop a “COVID-19 Disease Risk Perception Scale” for determining COVID-19 risk perceptions in the adult patient group during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The proposed scale form was established once the content validity of the item pool created by the research team had been evaluated by experts. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis for construct validity, item-total correlation, Cronbach alpha coefficients, and the test-retest method were employed to determine criterion-dependent validity and reliability in a group of 564 individuals aged 18-73. Results: Following exploratory factor analysis, a nine-factor structure explaining 61.733% of variance was established. Confirmatory factor analysis results were found within the values defined in the literature. The Cronbach alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.906, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.881 (P<0.001). Conclusion: The developed scale is a valid and reliable inventory capable of using in the examination and evaluation of risk perception of COVID-19 disease in the adult age group.