AUTHOR=Eckhard Alina , Menne Britta , Salzburger Mareike , Poppelreuter Martin , Bering Robert 

TITLE=The Stress Barometer: Validation of a Bio–Psycho–Social Brief Screening Instrument of Pandemic Stress Reaction

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.879535

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.879535

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>To capture the psychosocial impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a model based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) was developed during the first lockdown in Germany in April 2020. <italic>FACT-19</italic>, the questionnaire for the assessment of pandemic stress load, measures (1) pre-pandemic stress, (2) pandemic stress, and (3) contextual factors (functioning as facilitators or barriers). Derived from this model, the stress barometer as a brief screening instrument captures these factors. The purpose of this study is a preliminary validation of the instrument.</p></sec><sec><title>Method</title><p>The stress barometer was applied in conjunction with the Symptom-Checklist SCL-90-S at the beginning of the first lockdown in psychosomatic and psychotraumatological care in two federal states in Germany. The sample consists of <italic>n</italic> = 341 (68.6% female) from 18–73 years of age (<italic>M</italic> = 49.36, <italic>SD</italic> = 11.4).</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The structure of the short screening was examined in the overall sample using an exploratory factor analysis [<italic>Ch</italic>i<sup>2</sup> (78) = 875.720, <italic>KMO</italic> = 0.688]. The results indicate a four-factor-structure that explains 59.5% of the total cumulative variance. The factors of the stress barometer correlate with the Global Severity Index (GSI, measured by SCL-90-S) with moderate to weak effects: pre-pandemic stress (<italic>r</italic><sub>s</sub> = 0.431, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, <italic>n</italic> = 295), pandemic stress (<italic>r</italic><sub>s</sub> = 0.310, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, <italic>n</italic> = 298), distal facilitator (<italic>r</italic><sub>s</sub> = −0.155, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, <italic>n</italic> = 312), and proximal barriers (<italic>r</italic><sub>s</sub> = 0.232, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, <italic>n</italic> = 312).</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>The results indicate the suitability of the stress barometer to complement the measurement of the impact of pandemics with an ICF-oriented approach, taking into consideration pre-pandemic stress as well as interactions with facilitators and barriers. Further analysis will be necessary for a revision of the items of the scale.</p></sec>