Construção e validação da Escala de Medo de Contaminação (EMEC)

Abstract

The fear of contamination occurs when there is an interpretation of contamination as a considerable social threat or an expressive danger to the physical and/or mental health of the individual. In the current pandemic context, the presence of fear of contamination has become more expressive, being a form of self-preservation, when at healthy levels. This study presents the development and validation, by means of Item Response Theory (IRT), of an instrument that seeks to assess the fear of contamination in different situations. The initial instrument was created after an extensive literature review, and is composed of 30 items that assess the fear of contamination generated by different pathogens and environments. The scale was evaluated by expert judges and pilot-tested, steps that excluded 6 items. A total of 380 individuals participated in the research. Dimensionality was verified by factor analysis, satisfying the criteria for analysis by TRI. The data were submitted to Samejima's Graded Response Model. Good levels of discrimination and difficulty were verified for 18 items. The instrument, called Fear of Contamination Scale (EMEC), had 18 items in its final version, presenting validity evidence based on content and internal structure.