Psychometric properties and criterion validity of the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale (PVD) in the Spanish population / Propiedades psicométricas y validez de criterio de la escala de Percepción de Vulnerabilidad a la Enfermedad (PVE en población española). Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Magallares, Alejandro; Fuster-Ruiz De Apodaca, Maria-Jose; Morales, José-Francisco
• Is Part Of: Revista de psicología social. Volume 32:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 164
• Page End: 195
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: antifat attitudes -- confirmatory factor analysis -- disgust -- negative attitudes towards AIDS -- Perceived Vulnerability to Disease; actitudes antiobesos -- actitudes negativas hacia el SIDA -- análisis factorial confirmatorio -- asco -- Percepción de Vulnerabilidad a la Enfermedad; Social psychology -- Periodicals; Social psychology; Periodicals; 302
• DOI: 10.1080/02134748.2016.1248025
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0213-4748

Abstract

Abstract: Perceived Vulnerability to Disease may be defined as the beliefs about personal susceptibility to the transmission of infectious diseases and the emotional discomfort associated with the potential disease transmission. To evaluate these beliefs, the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale (PVD) has been used in most studies. The aim of Study 1 was to validate the PVD questionnaire to the Spanish population. The sample was made up of 744 university students from all over Spain. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the items on the short version of the questionnaire corresponding to an interrelated two-factor model (perceived infectability and germ aversion) showed the best fit of all the tested models. In Study 2, scales to measure antifat attitudes, disgust and negative attitudes towards AIDS were used to analyse the criterion validity of the PVD questionnaire. The sample was made up of 434 university students. It was found that germ aversion was positively related with antifat attitudes, disgust and negative attitudes towards AIDS. In light of these results, we conclude that the short version of the questionnaire has good psychometric properties and can be used by the scientific community to measure Perceived Vulnerability to Disease.