Development and Validation of the Pandemic Fear Perception and Adaptability Scale

Mu Wang^1*Haiyan Qi²Yanyan Chen³Mian Li³

• ¹Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
• ²Women Specific Drug Rehabilitation Center, Hefei, China
• ³Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Hefei, China

Individuals exhibit specific behavioral responses to fear and stress. This study introduces the Pandemic Fear Perception and Adaptability Scale (PFPA), a novel instrument designed to assess fear perception and behavioral adaptability in the context of pandemics. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 923 participants in China to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PFPA. After expert review, a 7-item scale was developed, comprising three subscales: self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility, and perceived threat. The PFPA demonstrated good reliability, with an internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.700) and a test-retest correlation (95% IC [0.590, 0.891]). Evidence of validity was supported by an average variance extracted of 0.563 and a composite reliability (CR) of 0.898. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated excellent model fit (CFI = 0.998, GFI = 0.995, RMSEA = 0.020), confirming construct validity. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis showed minimal bias across gender (DIF ≤ 0.06) and age (DIF ≤ 0.21), supporting measurement invariance. Conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak, this study provides timely evidence for the PFPA as a reliable and valid tool to assess pandemic-related fear perception and adaptability. Given that the scale was initially developed in a Chinese context, future research should examine its applicability across diverse cultural and linguistic settings.