Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of a European Portuguese version of the fear of COVID-19 scale

The novelty and uncertainty of the pandemic nourished a gener-alized fear of the COVID-19, which seems to have exacerbated the pan-demic's negative impact. It is thus relevant to monitor fear of COVID-19 and its association with individuals' mental health, well-being, and behav-iors. Valid and reliable measures of fear of COVID-19 are necessary for that purpose. This study aimed at assessing the psychometric properties of a European Portuguese version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S-P). A secondary aim was to assess FCV-19S-P's multigroup measurement invariance (female vs. male). A sample of 572 Portuguese adults (72 % fe-male) completed the FCV-19S-P and measures of depression, anxiety, and stress. The study results supported this version validity and reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .84;Composite Reliability = .83), and a factorial struc-ture similar to the original version. Fear of COVID-19 was positively asso-ciated (.23 < r < .31) with depression, anxiety, and stress. Results of the multigroup invariance analysis supported the FCV-19S-P total scalar invar-iance and its partial residual invariance, suggesting that this measure may be used to reach valid conclusions in respect to gender comparisons in samples of Portuguese adults in regard to group observed composite means. © 2023, Universidad de Murcia Servicio de Publicaciones. All rights reserved.

When COVID-19 strikes mental health: a measurement analysis of reassurance seeking behavior scale in Peruvian population.

Background: The long-lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be overstated. To combat its dire consequences, some screening measures have been hastily developed and require robust verification to explore their adequacy across different groups. The present research study aimed to analyze measurement invariance by sociodemographic characteristics of the Coronavirus Reassurance Seeking Behavior Scale (CRSB) in Peruvian adults. Methods: A total of 661 participants completed The Coronavirus Reassurance Seeking Behavior Scale (CRSB), the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), and sociodemographic information a subgroup filled in the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Reliability and measurement invariance across sociodemographic characteristics were analyzed. Likewise, associations with depression and dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety were examined. Results: Results showed that the single factor structure of the CRSB with correlated errors fitted the data adequately and the instrument was invariant across gender, age, and loss of a significant relative to COVID-19. In addition, significant associations with depressive symptoms and dysfunctional anxiety were found. Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggest that the Coronavirus Reassurance Seeking Behaviors Scale is invariant across different sociodemographic characteristics.

Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Spanish Burnout Inventory Among Professionals Across 17 Countries and Regions.

Studies on the prevalence of burnout in professionals in service organizations who work in direct contact with the clients or users of the organization have concluded that burnout is a serious health disorder that has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant advantage of the Spanish Burnout Inventory (SBI) over other instruments is that it provides a broader conceptualization of burnout by including feelings of guilt as a dimension of burnout to explain its development. However, the measurement invariance of the SBI across countries has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to test the measurement invariance of the SBI among professionals across 17 countries and regions in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, and in different languages. All the countries showed a good fit to the four-factor model, except the Indian sample, which was excluded from the measurement invariance study. Using the alignment method, it was possible to verify the scalar measurement invariance of the four SBI factors across 15 countries and one Spanish region (16 samples). The comparison of estimated latent means indicates that France is the country with the lowest scores on the Enthusiasm factor and the highest scores on the negative factors (Exhaustion, Indolence, and Guilt). In contrast, the Andean countries, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, show the highest latent means on the Enthusiasm factor and the lowest means on the negative factors. These results support the validity of the SBI in the countries and regions in Europe and Latin America included in this study.

Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale: Validation and Measurement Invariance in a Youth Sample.

The Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (VCBS) is a widely used measure of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines, but evidence of its validity and measurement invariance, especially in youth samples, is still largely missing. The present study examined VCBS scores' factor structure, measurement invariance, convergent and discriminant validity, and incremental predictive validity. A sample of 803 Serbian youths (age range 15-24; 59.2% females) was recruited for the study. A modified single-factor model of the VCBS was supported, and showed evidence of full scalar invariance across gender, age, vaccination status, and personal history of COVID-19. Evidence of the VCBS scores' convergent and discriminant validity was obtained by examining associations with general conspiracy beliefs, vaccination attitudes, vaccination knowledge, intentions to get vaccinated against COVID-19, paranoia worries, fear of injections and blood draws, importance of God, self-rated health, and self-rated family's financial situation. The VCBS scores predicted a unique variance in the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19, over and above vaccination attitudes and vaccination knowledge. The results suggest that the VCBS is a valid measure of vaccine conspiracy beliefs in youth.

iGen or shyGen? Generational Differences in Shyness.

Generation Z (1997-2012) has been characterized in the popular media as more socially inhibited, cautious, and risk averse than prior generations, but are these differences found between generations on an empirical level? And, if so, are these differences observable within generations in response to acute events such as the COVID-19 pandemic? Using a simplified time-lagged design to control for age effects, we examined between-group differences in self-reported shyness in young adult participants (N = 806, age: 17-25 years) at the same developmental age and university from the millennial generation (tested: 1999-2001; n = 266, Mage = 19.67 years, 72.9% female) and Generation Z (tested: 2018-2020), the latter generation stratified into prepandemic (n = 263, M = 18.86 years, 82.4% female) and midpandemic (n = 277, Mage = 18.67 years, 79.6% female) groups. After first establishing measurement invariance to ensure trustworthy group comparisons, we found significantly higher mean levels of shyness across each successive cohort, starting with millennials, through Generation Z before the pandemic, to Generation Z during the pandemic.

Tracking Changes in the Endorsement of Injunctive Drinking Norms in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Longitudinal Alignment Analysis.

The onset of the pandemic saw shifts in messaging around the acceptability of alcohol consumption at different times and contexts. A psychometric analysis of responses to injunctive norms may reveal important differences in specific aspects of norms that were influenced by the pandemic. Study 1 used alignment analysis to evaluate measurement invariance in low- and high-risk injunctive norms across samples of Midwestern college students from 2019 to 2021. Study 2 used an alignment-within-confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approach to replicate the solution from Study 1 in an independent longitudinal sample (N = 1,148) who responded between 2019 and 2021. For Study 1, the latent mean for high-risk norms was significantly higher in 2021, and the endorsement of four specific norms also differed. In Study 2, increases in latent means for low- and high-risk norms were observed across 2020 and 2021, and differential endorsement emerged for one high-risk norm item. Examining scale-level changes in injunctive drinking norms provides insight into how college students' perceptions changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Development and Validation of the Chinese Family Resilience Scale in Families in Hong Kong.

Family resilience is an important protective factor mitigating the negative impact of adversities on individuals and families. As there are very few validated measures of family resilience in the Chinese context, we have developed the Chinese Family Resilience Scale (C-FRS) based on the family resilience framework of Froma Walsh. In this paper, we outline the development and the validation of the C-FRS with reference to the socio-cultural context of Hong Kong. Based on content validation involving family experts, the initial 51 items were assessed in terms of their relevance, clarity, and representativeness. The results showed that these items possessed adequate content validity. In order to validate the 51-item measure, we examined its convergent validity, its factorial validity, and its internal consistency based on the responses of 1020 Chinese families (N = 2858 participants). After removing the items with unsatisfactory psychometric properties, we retained 35 items in the final scale. The results showed that the C-FRS scores were significantly related to family functioning, thus providing support for its convergent validity. This study also provided support for the conceptual model of Walsh (i.e., three high-order domains involving nine primary indicators). Most importantly, the measurement invariance tests showed that the dimensions of the C-FRS were invariant among fathers, mothers, and adolescent children. As the findings support the reliability and the validity of the 35-item C-FRS, we suggest that this measure can be objectively used to assess family resilience in Chinese communities.

Cross-cultural equivalence of parental ratings of child difficulties during the pandemic: Findings from a six-site study.

OBJECTIVES: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been shown to be invariant across informants, developmental stage and settings, but tests of cross-cultural equivalence are limited to adolescents' self-reports. The COVID-19 pandemic makes this gap particularly pertinent, given the need to understand whether distinct government approaches (e.g., school closures) are uniquely associated with variability in children's psychosocial outcomes and the reliance on parents' ratings for young children. METHODS: Within a Confirmatory Factor Analysis framework, we tested the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the SDQ across six countries: Australia, China, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and USA, using a sample of 1761 parents of 3- to 8-year-olds (M = 5.76, SD = 1.09). RESULTS: A five-factors model showed good fit to the data and partial cross-cultural scalar invariance. In this sample, Swedish parents reported the fewest peer problems (Cohen's d = 0.950) and the highest prosocial scores (Cohen's d = 0.547), whilst British parents reported the greatest child emotional (Cohen's d = 0.412) and hyperactivity problems (Cohen's d = 0.535). CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that the parent-version of the SDQ is appropriate for use and comparison across different contexts during the pandemic.

Psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 among Hong Kong young adults in 2021: Associations with meaning in life and suicidal ideation.

Background: Young adults in Hong Kong are subject to elevated psychological distress given the societal stressors such as civil unrest and COVID-19 pandemic and suicide is a leading cause of death among them. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) as a brief measure of psychological distress and its associations with meaning in life and suicidal ideation (SI) in young adults. Materials and methods: A mobile survey recruited a large and random sample of 1,472 young adults (Mean age = 26.3 years, 51.8% males) in Hong Kong in 2021. The participants completed the PHQ-4 and Meaning in Life Questionnaire-short form (MLQ-SF) for presence of meaning in life (MIL), SI, COVID-19 impact, and exposure to suicide. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the factorial validity, reliability, and measurement invariance of PHQ-4 and MLQ-SF across gender, age, and distress subgroups. Multigroup structural equation model evaluated and compared the direct and indirect effects of latent MIL factor on SI via latent PHQ-4 factor across distress groups. Results: Both MIL and PHQ-4 supported a 1-factor model with good composite reliability (Ω = 0.80-0.86) and strong factor loadings (λ = 0.65-0.88). Both factors showed scalar invariance across gender, age, and distress groups. MIL showed significant and negative indirect effects (αß = -0.196, 95% CI = -0.254 to -0.144) on SI via PHQ-4. PHQ-4 showed a stronger mediating role between MIL and SI in the distress group (Δ = -0.146, 95% CI = -0.252 to -0.049) than the non-distress group. Higher MIL predicted higher likelihoods of help-seeking (Odds ratios = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.14-1.88). Conclusion: The present results support adequate psychometric properties in terms of factorial validity, reliability, convergent validity, and measurement invariance for the PHQ-4 in young adults in Hong Kong. The PHQ-4 demonstrated a substantial mediating role in the relationship between meaning in life and SI in the distress group. These findings support clinical relevance for using the PHQ-4 as a brief and valid measure of psychological distress in the Chinese context.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Dsm-5 (Pcl-5). Latent Structure Analysis and Measurement Invariance in a Sample of Italian Health Workers during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant threat to health workers (HW) in terms of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and disorder (PTSD). Over the years, alternative PTSD structures have been proposed (DSM-5, Dysphoria, Dysphoric Arousal, Anhedonia, Externalizing Behaviors, Hybrid) and tested. To date, no studies have addressed this issue focusing on HW during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the fit of alternative PTSD structures in two Italian samples: HW during the COVID-19 pandemic, and university students in a pre-pandemic context. A total of 580 HW and 451 students completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) assessing PTSS. Confirmatory factor analysis investigated the best PTSD structure in each sample;measurement invariance was also inspected. The Anhedonia structure performed best in both samples;this model showed configural, metric, variances and covariances invariance. Results pave the way to the use of the PCL-5 to tailor intervention supporting HW during the pandemic.

Measurement invariance of the GAD-5 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale in a Mexican general population sample.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the measurement of invariance by sex, age, and educational level of an online version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale in a five-item version (GAD-5). Configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance were evaluated using data from 79,473 respondents who answered a mental health questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. The sex variable was classified as male or female; age was categorized as minors, youth, young adults, adults, and older adults; and educational level was divided into basic, upper secondary, higher, and graduate education. To test for configural invariance, confirmatory factor models were constructed. For metric invariance, equality restrictions were established for the factor loadings between the construct and its items; for scalar invariance, equality restrictions were established between the intercepts; strict variance implied the additional restriction of the residuals. Statistical analysis was performed in R software with the lavaan package. The results show that with respect to sex, age, and educational level, configural and metric measurement invariance was confirmed (ΔCFI < 0.002; ΔRMSEA < 0.015). However, with respect to scalar and strict invariance, the results showed significant differences regarding the fit model (ΔCFI > 0.002; ΔRMSEA > 0.015). We conclude that the GAD-5 presents configural and metric invariance for sex, age, and educational level, and scalar invariance for sex and age groups. However, the scale does not demonstrate strict invariance. We discuss the implications and suggest that this result could be related to the evaluation of sociodemographic variables.

Investigating measurement invariance of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-8 (ERQ-8) across 29 countries.

The widely used Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) measures the habitual use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Recently, a more economical 8-item version of the ERQ was proposed that showed good model fit. We assessed whether the latent constructs of the ERQ-8 are generalizable across different countries and cultures. To this end, we used data from the COVIDiSTRESS survey and investigated measurement invariance of the ERQ-8 in a large sample that included 11,288 individuals from 29 countries with diverse cultural backgrounds. Our analyses revealed configural and metric invariance of the ERQ-8 in 14 countries. The results suggest that emotion regulation strategies may not readily converge across all cultures. This underscores the importance of testing measurement invariance before interpreting observed differences and similarities between countries. Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-04220-6.

Health-Related Cognitions and Metacognitions Indirectly Contribute to the Relationships Between Impulsivity, Fear of COVID-19, and Cyberchondria.

The aim of the study was to converge a structural equation model to unfold the compositive relationships between trait impulsivity, health cognitions, metacognitions about health, fear of COVID-19 and cyberchondria, after controlling for gender, age, marital status, having a chronic illness and chronic illness among first-degree relatives. Six hundred fifty-one participants (423 females, 65%; 228 males, 35%) participated in the study. The Short UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale (S-UPPS-P), Health Cognitions Questionnaire (HCQ), The Meta-Cognitions about Health Questionnaire (MCQ-HA), Cyberchondria Severity Scale -Short Form (CSS-12), and Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19 S) were completed by volunteered participants. The structural model showed that the S-UPPS-P directly and indirectly contributed to the HCQ, MCQ-HA, CSS-12, and FCV-19 S. The multi-group structural analysis by gender showed that the structural model had a partial measurement and factorial invariance. We concluded that the significant associations between impulsivity, fear of COVID-19 and cyberchondria were indirectly contributed by health-related cognitions and metacognitions.

Sustainability performance of digitalized manufacturing industry in COVID era: a comparative study between developed and developing economies

PurposeThe study aims to identify the extent to which industry 4.0 (IR4.0) adoption impacts the sustainable manufacturing (SM) performance of the manufacturing industry, focusing on the comparative analysis between developed and developing economies amid coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study proposes a conceptual model formed on seminal theories and literature using the cross-sectional design. For data collection, a purposive sampling method is used where 154 Malaysian (developing) and Australian (developed) manufacturing firms' data were collected. Partial least square-based structural equation modeling is employed to test the hypothesis and proposed research model.FindingsThis study finds that adoption of IR4.0 technologies does not directly influence the sustainability performance of the manufacturing industry, but rather the trajectories of SM (efficiency, flexibility, automation and big data and granularity) fully mediate the relationship between IR4.0 adoption and sustainability manufacturing performance. The comparative analysis between Australia and Malaysia shows no significant difference in the relationships or the framework;hence, the differences between developed and developing countries are not significant in this mechanism.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the insights of the managers regarding COVID-19 and the implementation of IR4.0 in the SM domain. The policymakers would further get better insights since the study pays attention to sustainable development goal, industry, innovation, infrastructure and responsible production.

Cyberbullying perpetration during the Covid-19 pandemic: A study on the relationship between strain, angerand parental support

The pandemic compelled more exposure to online media in different forms like online education, interactions, gaming, and collaboration, which aggravated the cyberbullying issue. Cyberbullying can now occur in several different mediums due to the renewed lifestyle challenges spawned by the pandemic. Hence, it is imperative to assess the antecedents of cyberbullying behaviour (CBB). General Strain Theory (GST) is taken as a grounded theory to understand the underlying mechanisms of strain and anger and their impact on deviant outcomes like CBB. The current study adds to the GST literature by investigating the association between stress and anger, leading to cyberbullying behaviour. The study also examines the extent to which parenting factors (monitoring, communication, and trust) moderate adolescents' involvement in cyberbullying. An online survey was used to collect data from 221 high school Indian students for this purpose. As per the results, there is a direct relationship between strain, anger, and cyberbullying. The study confirms an indirect relationship between strain and cyberbullying through anger. The findings suggest that parental influences are important in moderating the relationship between strain and anger in adolescent cyberbullying behaviour. The study recommends strategies for parents, educators, and healthcare providers when dealing with cyberbullying behaviour.

POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER CHECKLIST FOR DSM-5 (PCL-5). LATENT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS AND MEASUREMENT INVARIANCE IN A SAMPLE OF ITALIAN HEALTH WORKERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant threat to health workers (HW) in terms of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and disorder (PTSD). Over the years, alternative PTSD structures have been proposed (DSM-5, Dysphoria, Dysphoric Arousal, Anhedonia, Externalizing Behaviors, Hybrid) and tested. To date, no studies have addressed this issue focusing on HW during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the fit of alternative PTSD structures in two Italian samples: HW during the COVID-19 pandemic, and university students in a pre-pandemic context. A total of 580 HW and 451 students completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) assessing PTSS. Confirmatory factor analysis investigated the best PTSD structure in each sample;measurement invariance was also inspected. The Anhedonia structure performed best in both samples;this model showed configural, metric, variances and covariances invariance. Results pave the way to the use of the PCL-5 to tailor intervention supporting HW during the pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Psychometric analysis of the Escala de Cansancio Emocional in Ecuadorian college students during the COVID-19 outbreak

(Portuguese) O esgotamento emocional academico e o primeiro estagio da Sindrome de Burnout Academico, sendo necessario avalia-lo e intervir precocemente, pois as consequencias sao significativas para as pessoas. O objetivo desta pesquisa e realizar uma analise psicometrica da Escala de Cansaco Emocional (Escala de Cansancio Emocional, ECE) para avaliar sua estrutura interna, invariancia de medida e confiabilidade da consistencia interna, em uma amostra de estudantes universitarios equatorianos no contexto da pandemia COVID-19. Participaram 453 estudantes universitarios do Equador (76,21 % mulheres) entre 17 e 35 anos (M = 22,76 anos). Os resultados mostram que a estrutura unidimensional possui suporte estatistico, e invariavel em relacao ao sexo e apresenta adequada confiabilidade de consistencia interna. Conclui-se que a ECE possui propriedades psicometricas adequadas que permitem seu uso em estudantes universitarios equatorianos. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) El agotamiento emocional academico es la primera etapa del sindrome de burnout academico, y es necesario evaluarlo e intervenir temprano ya que las consecuencias son significativas para las personas. El objetivo de esta investigacion es realizar un analisis psicometrico de la Escala de Cansancio Emocional (ECE) para evaluar su estructura interna, invariancia de medida y confiabilidad de consistencia interna, en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios ecuatorianos en el contexto de la pandemia COVID-19. Participaron 453 estudiantes universitarios de Ecuador (76.21 % mujeres) de entre 17 y 35 anos (M = 22.76 anos). Los resultados muestran que la estructura unidimensional tiene soporte estadistico, es invariante en cuanto al sexo y muestra una adecuada confiabilidad de consistencia interna. Se concluye que la ECE tiene propiedades psicometricas adecuadas que permiten su uso en estudiantes universitarios ecuatorianos. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Verification of psychometric properties of the Slovak version of the FCV-19S (Fear of COVID-19 Scale)

Objectives: Fear of the new coronavirus, as an emotional response to a pandemic situation that has plagued the world since early 2020, has many implications for the behaviour and psychological experiences of the population. To measure the fear of coronavirus a 7-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) was developed, now successfully used in more than 20 countries around the world. This study deals with the verification of psychometric characteristics of the Slovak version of FCV-19S, focusing on its factor structure, measurement invariance with respect to gender, reliability in terms of internal consistency, and convergent validity based on structural equation modeling (SEM) and based on the relationship to related constructs of anxiety, depression, and stress. Sample and settings: Data were collected on-line (N=744;aged 17-78) during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Slovakia. Along with FCV-19S, World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index, Perceived Stress Scale, and Coronavirus Anxiety Scale were administered to the respondents. Results: The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-factor structure of the instrument with two subscales, Emotional and Physiological Symptoms. The FCV-19S has proven to be a gender-invariant tool, so it can be used to compare fear experiences in men and women. The results further indicate good internal consistency and convergent validity of the Slovak version of the scale. Limitations: Measurement invariance of FCV-19S across age, education or ethnic groups was not tested in the present study. Stability of the scores over time was also not examined due to cross-sectional design. The study is limited by online data collection and convenience sampling method. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Czech) Ciele: Strach z noveho koronavirusu ako emocionalna reakcia na pandemicku situaciu, ktora suzuje svet uz od zaciatku roka 2020, ma mnoho suvislosti so spravanim a prezivanim obyvatelstva. Na jeho zaznamenavanie bola odbornikmi vyvinuta 7-polozkova skala Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), ktora je uspesne vyuzivana vo viac ako dvadsiatich krajinach sveta. Tato studia sa venuje overeniu psychometrickych charakteristik slovenskej verzie FCV-19S, pricom sa zameriava na overenie jej faktorovej struktury, invariancie merania vzhladom na pohlavie, reliability v zmysle vnutornej konzistencie, konvergentnej validity v zmysle strukturalneho modelovania (SEM) a na zaklade vztahu s pribuznymi premennymi uzkostou, depresivitou a stresom. Vyskumny subor a metody: Zber dat prebiehal online (N = 744;vek 17-78 rokov) pocas prebiehajucej pandemie koronavirusu na Slovensku. Okrem FCV-19S boli respondentom administrovane WHO-5 Index osobnej pohody, Skala vnimaneho stresu (PSS-10) a Skala uzkosti z koronavirusu (CAS). Vysledky: Vysledky konfirmacnej faktorovej analyzy podporili dvojfaktorovu strukturu nastroja s dvomi subskalami Emocionalne a Fyziologicke symptomy. FCV-19S sa ukazal ako nastroj invariantny vzhladom na pohlavie, je ho preto mozne vyuzit na porovnanie prezivaneho strachu u muzov a zien. Vysledky dalej poukazuju na dobru vnutornu konzistenciu a konvergentnu validitu slovenskej verzie skaly. Limity: V studii nebola overovana invariancia merania FCV-19S vzhladom na vek, vzdelanie a etnicitu. Vzhladom na prierezovy dizajn dalej nebola zistovana stabilita nastroja v case. Studia je tiez limitovana online zberom dat a prilezitostnym vyberom vyskumnej vzorky. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale (VAX) in a Spanish sample.

In these times of pandemic, the acceptance or rejection of vaccines has become increasingly clear, with a considerable rise in the anti-vaccine movement in Spain. It is important to understand the attitudes that lead a person to refuse vaccination in order to develop more effective public health campaigns. The objective of this study has been to study the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) scale in a Spanish sample. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling have been used to study the psychometric properties of the VAX. Likewise, the measurement invariance by gender and educational level has been studied. The structure of four related factors for VAX is confirmed, as well as its predictive value, since the factor "trust in the benefit of the vaccine" clearly predicts the choice to be vaccinated. The strong measurement invariance by gender and educational level is also confirmed. The comparison of latent means between groups indicates that there are no differences by gender in any factor. However, people with a high educational level present higher scores in factors "concern about unforeseen future effects", "concern about commercial effects and speculation" and "preference for natural immunity". The VAX is presented as a reliable and valid tool to assess four different factors related to attitudes towards vaccines in Spain. Future studies of its cross-cultural invariance may help to determine the main factors that lead people not to be vaccinated in order to develop more effective public health campaigns.

Changes in authoritarianism before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Comparisons of latent means across East and West Germany, gender, age, and education.

Modern theories of authoritarianism have stressed the importance of threat to the expression of authoritarian attitudes and intolerance. Arguably, authoritarian tendencies may have increased during COVID-19 pandemic, a major threat to life and security. One issue arising when comparing mean scores is that of measurement invariance. Meaningful comparisons are only possible, if latent constructs are similar between groups and/or across time. This prerequisite is rarely ever tested in research on authoritarianism. In this study, we aim to analyze the short scale for authoritarianism KSA-3 by investigating its measurement invariance on two levels (three first-order and one second-order factors) and latent mean changes using two German representative samples (N = 4,905). Specifically, we look at differences before and during the pandemic (2017 vs. 2020). While measurement invariance holds across both levels in all conditions, we find a decrease in latent means in 2020, contrary to expectations and established theories. Moreover, latent means differ with regard to gender, education, and east-west Germany. We conclude that analyses of latent means and measurement invariance instead of mean comparisons with composites should become the standard. Future studies should focus on threat as a moderator between authoritarianism and intolerance, and on possible interactions with context variables.