2020/04/16 by Sherman A. Lee · 2 citations
Psychology · #Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes #COVID-19 and Mental Health #Mental Health Treatment and Access
paper · doi:10.1080/07481187.2020.1748481
openalex publication_date 2020/04/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Mental health concerns of people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic have not been adequately addressed. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate the properties of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), which is a brief mental health screener to identify probable cases of dysfunctional anxiety associated with the COVID-19 crisis. This 5-item scale, which was based on 775 adults with anxiety over the coronavirus, demonstrated solid reliability and validity. Elevated CAS scores were found to be associated with coronavirus diagnosis, impairment, alcohol/drug coping, negative religious coping, extreme hopelessness, suicidal ideation, as well as attitudes toward President Trump and Chinese products. The CAS discriminates well between persons with and without dysfunctional anxiety using an optimized cut score of ≥ 9 (90% sensitivity and 85% specificity). These results support the CAS as an efficient and valid tool for clinical research and practice.