Development and Preliminary Validation of College Students’ Perceived Public Health Crisis Scale

Public health crises may profoundly affect college students, but there is a lack of instruments specifically designed to assess their perceptions of such events. This study aimed to develop and preliminarily validate the College Students’ Perceived Public Health Crisis Scale (CSPHCS), a measure designed to assess college students’ perceptions of public health crises. The scale development followed a multistage process including item generation through literature review and student interviews, expert review, cognitive interviewing, pilot testing, and psychometric evaluation using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire administered to college students. Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor, 16-item structure comprising: (1) perceived impact and personal anxiety, (2) perceived likelihood of crisis occurrence and infection, and (3) confidence in preparedness and information trust. Confirmatory factor analysis provided partial support for the three-factor model, with acceptable RMSEA and SRMR but CFI and TLI slightly below conventional thresholds. Internal consistency was acceptable for the overall scale and its subscales (Cronbach’s α = 0.758–0.804). The CSPHCS provides preliminary evidence of content validity, internal consistency, and construct validity as a measure of college students’ perceptions of public health crises. Further studies are needed to refine the scale and examine its stability, predictive utility, and applicability across diverse contexts.