Validation of the Arabic coronavirus anxiety scale among mothers of infants in Saudi Arabia

Objective This research aims to verify the Arabic version of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and to evaluate its association with maternal mental health among mothers of infants in the time of COVID-19 widespread in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed among the mothers of 1-month- to 1-year-old infants. Data collection was conducted between June and July 2020. Participants completed the Arabic CAS, Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson’s correlations and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), were applied. Results Among 648 participants, the Arabic CAS showed better internal reliability. With the item loadings varying from 0.56 to 0.7, EFA validated a single-factor structure accounting 65.5% of overall variance. The Arabic CAS then demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.89). CAS scores correlated negatively with Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF) and positively with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) supporting construct validity. Conclusion The Arabic CAS shown adequate validity and reliability for evaluating COVID-19 linked anxiety among mothers of infants in Saudi Arabia. This tool can be used to detect the distress related to pandemic in postpartum individuals.