The perceived impact of pandemic scale (PIPS): Initial development and examination among U.S. military veterans

Julie A Kittel; Lindsey L Monteith; Jamie L Tock; Alexandra L Schneider; Ryan Holliday; Sean M Barnes; Claire A Hoffmire

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.06.037

The perceived impact of pandemic scale (PIPS): Initial development and examination among U.S. military veterans

J Psychiatr Res. 2023 Sep:165:123-131. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.06.037. Epub 2023 Jul 13.

Authors

Julie A Kittel¹, Lindsey L Monteith², Jamie L Tock³, Alexandra L Schneider³, Ryan Holliday⁴, Sean M Barnes⁴, Claire A Hoffmire⁵

Affiliations

¹ VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Aurora, CO, USA.
² VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Psychiatry, Aurora, CO, USA.
³ VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA.
⁴ VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Psychiatry, Aurora, CO, USA.
⁵ VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Aurora, CO, USA. Electronic address: claire.hoffmire@va.gov.

PMID: 37494749
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.06.037

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts, including increases in mental health problems, distress, interpersonal conflict, unemployment, loss of income, housing instability, and food insecurity. Veterans may be particularly vulnerable to such impacts given their burden of mental and physical health problems. Few existing measures assess pandemic impact, and none have been validated for use with Veterans. We developed such a measure (the Perceived Impact of the Pandemic Scale; PIPS) and examined its psychometric performance in a national sample of US Veterans. Survey data from 567 Veterans were collected between 12/2020 and 2/2021. To examine PIPS factor structure, split sample exploratory/confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA) were conducted to identify and test the most plausible model among an initial set of 18 items. Based on tests of factor extraction and factor loadings, 15 items clearly loaded onto three distinct factors. Internal reliability of all factors was ω > 0.8 and CFA model fit was good (χ²(87) = 167.39, p < .001; SRMR = 0.068; RMSEA = 0.060 [95% CI: 0.05, 0.07], CFI = 0.92). Mean factor scores were significantly positively correlated with measures of depression and loneliness, and negatively correlated with perceived social support. Results suggest the PIPS assesses three internally reliable factors comprised of perceived impact of the pandemic on interpersonal relationships, financial impact, and personal health and well-being. Construct validity with US Veterans was supported. The PIPS may be useful for examining the potentially disparate impact of pandemics on different populations. Research is needed to validate the PIPS in non-Veteran populations.

Keywords: COVID-19; Factor analysis; Measurement; Pandemic; Perceived impact; Veterans.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Humans
Pandemics
Psychometrics
Reproducibility of Results
Surveys and Questionnaires
Veterans*