7-item scale measuring fear of coronavirus-19 during the pandemic. ≈ 2 min to complete. Free with attribution.
FCV-19S (Fear of COVID-19 Scale) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 7-item scale measuring fear of coronavirus-19 during the pandemic.. It is most often used for 7-item scale measuring fear of coronavirus-19 during the pandemic.. The instrument contains 7 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 2 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
7-item scale measuring fear of coronavirus-19 during the pandemic. FCV-19S is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, FCV-19S is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 7 items below to see your FCV-19S score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 5-point scale (1–5). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Sum all 7 items scored 1-5. Total range 7-35. Higher scores = greater fear of COVID-19.
Scoring notes: Sum all 7 items scored 1-5. Total range 7-35. Higher scores = greater fear of COVID-19.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 7–14 | Low fear | None |
| 15–24 | Moderate fear | Monitor |
| 25–35 | High fear | Consider support |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I am most afraid of COVID-19 | Neither agree nor disagree | 3 |
| 2 | It makes me uncomfortable to think about COVID-19 | Neither agree nor disagree | 3 |
| 3 | My hands become clammy when I think about COVID-19 | Neither agree nor disagree | 3 |
| 4 | I am afraid of losing my life because of COVID-19 | Neither agree nor disagree | 3 |
| 5 | When watching news and stories about COVID-19 on social media, I become nervous or anxious | Neither agree nor disagree | 3 |
| 6 | I cannot sleep because I'm worrying about getting COVID-19 | Disagree | 2 |
| 7 | My heart races or palpitates when I think about getting COVID-19 | Neither agree nor disagree | 3 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 20
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 20 falls between 15 and 24 → Moderate fear
Moderate fear. Monitor
A score is one input alongside history and examination. FCV-19S supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If FCV-19S doesn't fit your context, related instruments in covid-19 include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPDI | 24-item measure of peritraumatic distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. | 24 | ≈ 5 min |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
| MELD-Na | 3-month mortality in advanced liver disease; transplant prioritization | 5 | — |
FCV-19S (Fear of COVID-19 Scale) is a validated instrument that assesses fear of coronavirus-19 during the pandemic. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. It takes about 2 min to complete, and the 7 items are summed to produce a total score.
FCV-19S typically takes about 2 min to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
FCV-19S contains 7 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 7 to 35, grouped into 3 interpretation bands from ‘Low fear’ up to ‘High fear’.
On the FCV-19S (total score 7–35), scores of 25–35 fall in the ‘High fear’ band — interpreted as: Consider support. The full ladder is: 7–14 — Low fear: None.; 15–24 — Moderate fear: Monitor.; 25–35 — High fear: Consider support. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 7–14 fall in the ‘Low fear’ band: None. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
FCV-19S has reported Cronbach's α of 0.91 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.85. Validated in multiple countries during early pandemic. In practical terms, a Cronbach’s α around 0.91 indicates excellent internal consistency (the items hang together well), and a test–retest reliability of 0.85 means scores are strongly stable when the scale is repeated without real clinical change.
FCV-19S is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.
Ahorsu, D. K., Lin, C. Y., Imani, V., Saffari, M., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2020). The Fear of COVID-19 Scale. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20, 1537-1545. This is the original publication for the FCV-19S — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. FCV-19S is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of fear of coronavirus-19 during the pandemic — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
FCV-19S is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: