A multi-centric study on validation of the Fear Scale for COVID-19 in five Arabic speaking countries.

Background: The Eight-item Fear Scale is a unidimensional scale evaluating the perceived feelings of fear associated with the thought of the coronavirus.

Aim: The Arabic version of this scale did not exist; hence, this study aimed to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Fear Scale in participants aged 18 years and above in five Arabic countries: Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan by using a cross-sectional survey design.

Method: The English version of the COVID-19 Fear Scale was translated into Arabic following the guidelines and disseminated through social media.