{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,7]],"date-time":"2026-03-07T14:41:27Z","timestamp":1772894487441,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772755200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004366","name":"Tabriz University of Medical Sciences","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["67195"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["67195"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004366","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Insect-related fear (Entomophobia) is prevalent in children and affects their behavior and well-being, avoidance behaviors, and potentially hazardous practices such as inappropriate pesticide use. While many tools exist for measuring fear in adults, there is a lack of validated instruments for school-aged children. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing knowledge, entomophobia, behavior, and anxiety about insects among school-aged children in East Azerbaijan, Iran.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This psychometric study involved a multi-stage stratified random sampling design in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. A researcher-made questionnaire, developed through expert consultation and literature review, was used. A total of 1,370 children participated. Content validity was quantified via CVR and CVI. Construct validity was assessed with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); EFA and reliability analyses (Cronbach\u2019s alpha, item-total statistics) were performed in IBM SPSS Statistics 25, and CFA was conducted in AMOS 22. Temporal stability was evaluated by test\u2013retest Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) over a two-week interval (n\u2009=\u2009103).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Result<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The finalized instrument comprises 32 items loading on four factors: knowledge, entomophobia, behavior, and personal fear\/anxiety. EFA and CFA supported the four-factor model with excellent fit (CFI\u2009=\u20090.96, TLI\u2009=\u20090.95, RMSEA\u2009=\u20090.047, SRMR\u2009=\u20090.041). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach\u2019s \u03b1\u2009=\u20090.82), and test\u2013retest reliability indicated good temporal stability (ICC\u2009=\u20090.81; 95% CI: 0.76\u20130.86). No meaningful floor or ceiling effects were observed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The questionnaire demonstrates sound psychometric properties and is suitable for use in school settings to identify children with elevated insect-related fear or unsafe pesticide practices. Future work should examine criterion validity, measurement invariance across subgroups, and applicability in other cultural contexts.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0344126","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T18:24:53Z","timestamp":1772821493000},"page":"e0344126","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Development and psychometric validation of the insect fear questionnaire for school-aged children in 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