Adaptation and Preliminary Validation of the Fear of Coronavirus Vaccination Scale in the Prospective Study among a Representative Sample of Polish, Israeli, Slovenian, and German Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dominika Ochnik, Aleksandra M. Rogowska, Joy Benatov and Ana Arzenšek
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Dominika Ochnik: Faculty of Medicine, University of Technology, 40-555 Katowice, Poland
Aleksandra M. Rogowska: Institute of Psychology, University of Opole, 45-052 Opole, Poland
Joy Benatov: Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Ana Arzenšek: Faculty of Management, University of Primorska, 6101 Koper, Slovenia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-21

Abstract: Although concerns about harm and side effects are among the most important factors determining vaccine hesitancy, research on the fear of vaccination is sparse. The purpose of this study is a validation the Fear of Coronavirus Vaccination Scale (FoCVVS), adapted from the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. A representative sample of 1723 young adults aged 20–40 from Poland, Israel, Slovenia, and Germany participated during two time-points of the third COVID-19 pandemic wave. The online survey included demographic variables and several well-being dimensions, including gender, vaccination status, fear of coronavirus (FoCV-19S), physical health (GSRH), life satisfaction (SWLS), and perceived stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (PHQ-9). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed at T1, and confirmatory analysis (CFA) at T2. The second-order two-factor structure demonstrated the best fit and very good discriminant and convergent validation. The general factor of the FoCVVS included two subscales assessing the emotional and physiological symptoms of fear of vaccination. Unvaccinated people showed higher levels of fear of vaccination than those vaccinated. A vaccination status, fear of vaccination T1, and fear of COVID-19 T1 were significant predictors of fear of vaccination T2. Vaccination-promoting programs should be focused on decreasing fear and enhancing the beneficial effects of vaccination.

Keywords: anxiety; COVID-19 pandemic; depression; fear of COVID-19; fear of vaccination; fear of coronavirus vaccination scale (FoCVVS); mental health; physical health; stress; vaccination status; well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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