TY - JOUR
T1 - The perceived vulnerability to disease scale: Cross-cultural measurement invariance and associations with fear of COVID-19 across 16 countries
AU - KARAKULAK, Arzu
AU - STOGIANNI, Maria
AU - ALONSO-ARBIOL, Itziar
AU - SHUKLA, Shanu
AU - BENDER, Michael
AU - YEUNG, Victoria Wai Lan
AU - JOVANOVIĆ, Veljko
AU - MUSSO, Pasquale
AU - SCARDIGNO, Rosa
AU - SCOTT, Riley A.
AU - STUART, Jaimee
AU - FRIEHS, Maria-Therese
AU - TOH, Zena
AU - ALBAYRAK-AYDEMIR, Nihan
AU - ARVANITIS, Alexios
AU - BUZEA, Carmen
AU - MASTROTHEODOROS, Stefanos
AU - TSANG, Jo-Ann
AU - MADEIRA, Filipa
AU - MICONI, Diana
AU - PASCUAL, Nicole Russell
AU - ROWATT, Wade C.
AU - AL-KIRE, Rosamary L.
AU - AMAR, Moty
AU - ARAL, Tugce
AU - ITZCHAKOV, Guy
AU - MISHRA, Sushanta Kumar
AU - PORAT, Roni
AU - SERVIDIO, Rocco
AU - STEFENEL, Delia
AU - TAIR, Ergyul
AU - GKOMEZ, Alexandros
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Social and Personality Psychology Compass published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2023/11
Y1 - 2023/11
N2 - Using cross-sectional data from N = 4274 young adults across 16 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) scale and tested the hypothesis that the association between PVD and fear of COVID-19 is stronger under high disease threat [that is, absence of COVID-19 vaccination, living in a country with lower Human Development Index (HDI) or higher COVID-19 mortality]. Results supported a bi-factor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling model where items loaded on a global PVD factor, and on the sub-factors of Perceived Infectability and Germ Aversion. However, cross-national invariance could only be obtained on the configural level with a reduced version of the PVD scale (PVD-r), suggesting that the concept of PVD may vary across nations. Moreover, higher PVD-r was consistently associated with greater fear of COVID-19 across all levels of disease threat, but this association was especially pronounced among individuals with a COVID-19 vaccine, and in contexts where COVID-19 mortality was high. The present research brought clarity into the dimensionality of the PVD measure, discussed its suitability and limitations for cross-cultural research, and highlighted the pandemic-related conditions under which higher PVD is most likely to go along with psychologically maladaptive outcomes, such as fear of COVID-19.
AB - Using cross-sectional data from N = 4274 young adults across 16 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) scale and tested the hypothesis that the association between PVD and fear of COVID-19 is stronger under high disease threat [that is, absence of COVID-19 vaccination, living in a country with lower Human Development Index (HDI) or higher COVID-19 mortality]. Results supported a bi-factor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling model where items loaded on a global PVD factor, and on the sub-factors of Perceived Infectability and Germ Aversion. However, cross-national invariance could only be obtained on the configural level with a reduced version of the PVD scale (PVD-r), suggesting that the concept of PVD may vary across nations. Moreover, higher PVD-r was consistently associated with greater fear of COVID-19 across all levels of disease threat, but this association was especially pronounced among individuals with a COVID-19 vaccine, and in contexts where COVID-19 mortality was high. The present research brought clarity into the dimensionality of the PVD measure, discussed its suitability and limitations for cross-cultural research, and highlighted the pandemic-related conditions under which higher PVD is most likely to go along with psychologically maladaptive outcomes, such as fear of COVID-19.
KW - culture
KW - discease threat
KW - fear of COVID-19
KW - measurement invariance
KW - perceived vulnerability to disease
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85169126110&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/spc3.12878
DO - 10.1111/spc3.12878
M3 - Journal Article (refereed)
AN - SCOPUS:85169126110
SN - 1751-9004
VL - 17
JO - Social and Personality Psychology Compass
JF - Social and Personality Psychology Compass
IS - 11
M1 - e12878
ER -