The COVID-19 Inventory: Measuring anxiety related to illness pandemic across college males and females

Mohlman, Jan; Watson, Leah M; Basch, Corey H

BACKGROUND: Due to close proximity in dormitories, classes, and social activities, college students have been identified as a vulnerable population throughout the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. OBJECTIVES: This study tested properties of a new COVID-19 Inventory (C-19-I). It was expected that the measure would show acceptable validity and reliability, females would report greater COVID-19 anxiety than males, and the addition of gender would improve a regression model of COVID-19 anxiety. METHOD: Participants were 201 college undergraduates who completed multiple self-report measures and two snack selection tasks. RESULTS: The C-19-I showed a multifactor solution and acceptable psychometric properties. Females scored higher than males and were more likely than males to select a healthy snack after responding to questions about illness and contamination. CONCLUSIONS: This study validates a new measure of COVID-19 anxiety and contributes to a deeper understanding of how college adults respond to pandemic illness.