Influence of fear on anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and behaviour against vaccination

Malas, Olga

doi:10.21134/pssa.v11i1.321

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Both studies found a clear and significant association between fear of vaccination and vaccination intention, with the fear of vaccination emerging as a stronger predictor compared to hesitancy [8] or fear of the targeted disease [9]. A clear relationship has also been described between fear of vaccination and the self-report of conspiracy beliefs [24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vaccination Fear Scale (VFS-6): Adaptation, Cross-Cultural Validation, and Invariance among Genders and Six Different Cultures, Applying Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT)

Malas,

Boustani,

Duradoni

et al. 2024

EJIHPE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a meaningful impact on several areas of human activity. With respect to psychological assessment, the requirements to study the fear of vaccination as a means to diminish negative behaviour towards vaccination had been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the factorial invariance of the six-item Vaccination Fear Scale (VFS-6) across individuals and cultures. To achieve this goal, a sample of university students was recruited (n = 2535; mean age = 20.59, SD = 2.04; males: 26.75%, females: 73.25%) from Spain (n = 388; 15.3%), Italy (n = 376; 14.83%), Lebanon (n = 487; 19.21%), Nigeria (n = 561; 22.13%), Turkey (n = 410; 16.17%), and Ukraine (n = 313; 12.34%). The results showed that the most appropriate factorial structure, exhibiting excellent fit indices, was a model with two correlated factors (cognitive symptoms: items 1, 2, and 4; somatic symptoms: items 3, 5, and 6) for both the total sample and individual samples from each country and language (Spanish, Italian, Arabic, English, Turkish, and Ukrainian). Notably, the VFS-6 demonstrated configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance across sex. Regarding countries and languages, configural invariance was observed between them. Also, metric invariance was observed between Spain, Italy, and Ukraine and between Lebanon, Nigeria, and Turkey, which indicates the presence of two well-differentiated groups of countries and the possibility of inferential analysis between them. Item Response Theory analysis suggested an appropriate level of discrimination and difficulty of the test. These significant findings lay the groundwork for future investigations into vaccination fear across diverse cultural backgrounds, providing valuable insights for addressing vaccination-related concerns worldwide.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vaccination Fear Scale (VFS-6): Adaptation, Cross-Cultural Validation, and Invariance among Genders and Six Different Cultures, Applying Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT)

Malas,

Boustani,

Duradoni

et al. 2024

EJIHPE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Links between Vaccination Fear-, Anxiety-, Alexithymia-, and Type D Personality-Related Vaccination Decisions: A Network Analysis in a Multicultural Sample

Malas,

Boustani,

Duradoni

et al. 2024

Behavioral Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines the links between vaccination status, fear of vaccination (cognitive and somatic symptoms), anxiety, alexithymia, and type D personality (negative affect and social inhibition), to propose policies to increase vaccination rates. A sample of university students (n = 2535; mean age = 20.59, SD = 2.04; male: 26.75%, female: 73.25%) from Spain, Italy, Lebanon, Nigeria, Turkey, and Ukraine completed the Vaccination Fear Scale (VFS-6), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire—Short Form (PAQ-S), the Type D Scale (DS14), and also a question on vaccination status. Correlation, regression, and network analyses were applied. Cognitive symptoms of fear of vaccination and negative affect were the most significant in the correlation and regression analyses. In the network analysis, negative affect showed the highest values in all centrality indices and positive relationships with other nodes. Vaccination status showed negative relationships with fear of vaccination, alexithymia, and social inhibition. The network structure is similar between the sexes but varies between cultures and sexes within cultures. The relationship between vaccination status and cognitive symptoms of fear of vaccination was the most consistent, allowing for interventions at this level to be advised across cultures. For more specific interventions, cultural context must be considered for optimal results.

show abstract

Influence of fear on anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and behaviour against vaccination

Cited by 2 publications

References 43 publications

The Vaccination Fear Scale (VFS-6): Adaptation, Cross-Cultural Validation, and Invariance among Genders and Six Different Cultures, Applying Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT)

The Vaccination Fear Scale (VFS-6): Adaptation, Cross-Cultural Validation, and Invariance among Genders and Six Different Cultures, Applying Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT)

Links between Vaccination Fear-, Anxiety-, Alexithymia-, and Type D Personality-Related Vaccination Decisions: A Network Analysis in a Multicultural Sample

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About