Examining the construct validity of the trait fear scale in Chinese undergraduates

The 44-item Trait Fear Scale (TF-44) is a relatively new self-report measure of threat sensitivity, a biologically related trait that reflects a general readiness to respond to aversive stimuli across different processing contexts with defense system activation. This study aimed to validate the TF-44 in the Chinese cultural context using two large undergraduate samples. In Sample 1 (N = 516), we used a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (bifactor-ESEM) to examine the factor structure of the TF-44. In Sample 2 (N = 379), we assessed the convergent and discriminant validity of the TF-44 by comparing it with measures of personality and psychopathology, including the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, Big Five Inventory-2, DSM-5 severity measure for fear disorders, and two substance use-related scales. The results of the bifactor ESEM indicated that fear/fearlessness emerged as a robust general factor in responses to all TF-44 items, concurrently revealing the presence of three specific factors. The findings also revealed that the convergent and discriminant validity of the Chinese version of TF-44 was similar to that in English-speaking samples. Specifically, the Chinese TF-44 scores were positively correlated with Negative Emotions and fear-related disorders, negatively correlated with Extraversion and psychopathic fearless traits (TriPM Boldness), and showed weak or no associations with disinhibition and substance use symptoms. Overall, the Chinese version of the TF-44 emerges as a valuable assessment tool for evaluating threat sensitivity.