Measuring Psychological Response to Pandemics: Further Psychometric Investigation of the COVID Stress Scales

The past 60 years have witnessed various global pandemics (e.g., SARS, H1N1, COVID-19). The COVID Stress Scales (CSS; Taylor et al., 2020a) were developed as a measure of stress related to any pandemic, making it a valuable self-report measure for potential future large-scale infectious disease outbreaks. The CSS assesses five domains of anxiety-related distress resulting from pandemics to predict behavioral responses and direct mental health resource allocation. Although the initial validation study of the CSS indicated evidence of its psychometric strength, it is important to further assess the measure’s retest reliability, the long-term stability of its five-factor structure, discriminant validity (particularly with depression-relevant measures), and its relationship with pandemic-related risk and precautionary behaviors. We examined these psychometric elements of the CSS using data collected from a nationally representative sample of adults (N = 205). Data were collected in August-September 2020, with a follow-up assessment in May-June 17, 2021. Results indicate moderate retest reliability that is consistent with changing rates of morbidity. Results also support the five-factor structure and demonstrate convergent validity, discriminant validity, and the ability to predict relevant behavioral responses to an active pandemic. Use of the CSS for future pandemics is discussed.