Developing the Fear of Disasters Scale and Exploring Its Psychometric Properties.

Aims: The present methodological study attempted to develop the Fear of Disasters Scale (FDS) and reveal its psychometric properties. Methods: While explanatory factor analysis (EFA) was carried out on the data of 265 voluntary participants, the data of 75 participants were used to explore the test–retest reliability of the scale. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out on the data of 150 participants. All analyses were performed on the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0 and linear structural relations (LISRELs) programs. Results: Cronbach's α value was calculated to be 0.93. The test–retest reliability analysis resulted in a significant, very strong, and positive correlation (p < 0.001; r = 0.92). The CFA yielded the following fit indices for the scale: p > 0.05, χ2/df = 1.51, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.05, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.02, goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.96, normed fit index (NFI) = 0.97. Conclusions: The findings revealed that the one‐factor instrument with seven items is valid and reliable for measuring fear of disasters (FD) in the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]