Psychometric evaluation of the monkey pox fear scale in theTurkish general population

Abstract

We assessed the psychometric properties of the monkeypox fear scale (MFS) and examined the psychological impact of MPOX on the Turkish population. Data were collected from 635 participants via an online survey between September 2024 and February 2025. To evaluate the constructed validity, we performed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) estimation. Internal consistency was verified through Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Furthermore, we employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to determine the predictive roles of PHQ-9, GAD-7, perceived helplessness (PH), perceived self-efficacy (PSE), and WHO-5 on MFS sub-dimensions. The MFS demonstrated a robust two-factor structure: emotional and physiological fears. Model fit indices indicated an excellent fit (X2/df = 2.49, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.048, SRMR = 0.056). While clinical symptoms (PHQ-9 and GAD-7) correlated with MFS, they did not yield significant direct paths in the structural model (p > 0.05). Instead, we identified perceived helplessness, perceived self-efficacy, and psychological well-being as the primary direct predictors of MPOX fear. The MFS is a valid and reliable instrument for the Turkish context. Our findings suggest that at this stage of the outbreak, MPOX fear is governed by cognitive appraisals of control – specifically self-efficacy and helplessness – rather than pre-existing clinical distress.