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Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries
Author(s)
Caycho‐Rodríguez, Tomás
Private University of the North
Valencia, Pablo D.
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Ventura‐León, José
Private University of the North
Vilca, Lindsey W.
Universidad Norbert Wiener
Carbajal‐León, Carlos
Private University of the North
Reyes-Bossio, Mario
Peruvian University of Applied Sciences
White, Michael
Rojas-Jara, Claudio
Catholic University of the Maule
Polanco-Carrasco, Roberto
Gallegos, Miguel
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Cervigni, Mauricio
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Martino, Pablo
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Palacios, Diego Alejandro
Universidad Mariano Galvez
Moreta‐Herrera, Rodrigo
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Samaniego-Pinho, Antonio
Universidad Nacional de Asunción
Lobos-Rivera, Marlon Elías
Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador
Figares, Andrés Buschiazzo
Puerta-Cortés, Diana Ximena
Universidad de Ibagué
Corrales-Reyes, Ibraín Enrique
University of Granma
Calderón, Raymundo
Universidad del Valle de México
Pinto, Bismarck
Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo
Arias Gallegos, Walter L.
Universidad Católica San Pablo
Petzold, Olimpia
Université Libre de Bruxelles
Date Issued
14 de junio de 2022
Type
Article
Volume
10
Series/Report No.
Frontiers in Public Health
Start Page
908720
End Page
908720
ISSN
2296-2565
Abstract
Aims: Over the past 2 years, the vaccine conspiracy beliefs construct has been used in a number of different studies. These publications have assessed the determinants and outcomes of vaccine conspiracy beliefs using, in some cases, pooled data from different countries, and compared the results across these contexts. However, studies often do not consider measurement invariance as a necessary requirement for comparative analyses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the cross-cultural MI of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 12 Latin American countries. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory analysis and alignment method were applied to test measurement invariance in a large number of groups. Results: The COVID-VCBS showed robust psychometric properties and measurement invariance for both factor loadings and crosstabs. Also, a higher level of acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines is necessary to respond to higher response categories. Similarly, greater acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines was related to a lower intention to be vaccinated. Conclusion: The results allow for improved understanding of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines in the countries assessed; furthermore, they provide researchers and practitioners with an invariant measure that they can use in cross-cultural studies in Latin America. However, further studies are needed to test invariance in other countries, with the goal of developing a truly international measure of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines.
Keywords