title: Assessment of environmental worry in health-related settings: Re-evaluation and modification of an environmental worry scale.
abstract: The aim of this article was to re-evaluate and possibly modify the standardized Environmental Worry Scale (EWS) by Hodapp et al. [1996. Evaluation eines Fragebogens zur Erfassung von Umweltbesorgnis. Z. Gesundheitspsychologie IV(1), 22-36] with regard to its content and structure. In order to do this, 161 participants were chosen as a reference group to take part in a survey. The data were analyzed and a factor analysis yielded two instead of one component of worry, namely "personal" and "general" environmental worry, leading to a new evaluation method. This revised evaluation method was then applied to patients (n=227) with or without self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and thus used in the context of reported health complaints. The outlined results indicate that the assessment of worry as proposed by Hodapp et al. [1996. Evaluation eines Fragebogens zur Erfassung von Umweltbesorgnis. Z. Gesundheitspsychologie IV(1), 22-36] should be elaborated by the newly developed evaluation method with which a ratio determined by "personal" and "general" worry can be calculated. In addition to analyzing the absolute quantity of worry, the calculated ratio allows to draw conclusions on the structure of worry. It will be discussed to what extent the results present new insights into the role of worry among patients suffering from environmental diseases.
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Department for Environmental Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University of Giessen, Germany. tobias.rethage@med.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rethage
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eis
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gieler
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.forename: Gerhard Andreas
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Wiesmüller
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lacour
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hodapp
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stilianakis
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Eikmann
authors.forename: Caroline E W
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Herr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011594:Psychometrics; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires