The COVID-19 vaccine concerns scale: Development and validation of a new measure

Abstract

Reasons for COVID-19 hesitancy are multi-faceted and tend to differ from those for general vaccine hesitancy. We developed the COVID-19 Vaccine Concerns Scale (CVCS), a self-report measure intended to better understand individuals’ concerns about COVID-19 vaccines. We validated the scale using data from a convenience sample of 2,281 emergency medical services providers, a group of professionals with high occupational COVID-19 risk. Measures included the CVCS items, an adapted Oxford COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scale, a general vaccine hesitancy scale, demographics, and self-reported COVID-19 vaccination status. The CVCS had high internal consistency reliability (α = .89). A one-factor structure was determined by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA), resulting in a seven-item scale. The model had good fit ( X2 [14] = 189.26, p < .001; CFI = .95, RMSEA = .11 [.09, .12], NNFI = .93, SRMR = .03). Moderate Pearson correlations with validated scales of general vaccine hesitancy (r = .71 , p < .001; n = 2144) and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (r = .82; p < .001; n = 2279) indicated construct validity. The CVCS predicted COVID-19 vaccination status (B = −2.21, Exp(B) = .11 [95% CI = .09, .13], Nagelkerke R 2 = .55), indicating criterion-related validity. In sum, the 7-item CVCS is a reliable and valid self-report measure to examine fears and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines. The scale predicts COVID-19 vaccination status and can be used to inform efforts to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

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

“…Hamilton and Hagger [ 20 ] developed the Vaccination Concerns in COVID-19 Scale (VaCCS), but instead of fear, this tool measures beliefs and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines on 35 items included in eight subscales (socio-political, health beliefs and outcomes, trait measures, intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine). Similarly, Gregory et al [ 21 ] developed a seven-point COVID-19 Vaccine Concern Scale (CVCS). However, still, this measure examines the cognitive aspects of the perceived reasons, attitudes, and beliefs associated with hesitancy rather than the symptoms of fear of vaccination.…”

COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Factors Influencing Vaccine Hesitancy among Patients with Inborn Errors of Immunity in Latvia: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…The main emphasis was on the "barriers" construct, and questions exploring the "self-efficacy" construct were not included, since we did not predict that this issue would be the driving force that would retrain immunodeficient patients from vaccination, as they were not reported by previous studies in IEI patients [11,37,38]. Additionally, the input was gleaned from validated vaccine hesitancy evaluation instruments and explanatory models [43][44][45][46][47][48], as well as insights gained from a pilot interview. Interview questions were offered to participants in two languages, Latvian and Russian, to facilitate effective communication.…”

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)

“…However, it is noteworthy that there is a notable lack of reliable tools available for measuring the impact of fear, which might explain the scarcity of studies in this area. However, previous studies have revealed the availability of some tools tailored to measure different aspects related to vaccination, such as worry [16,17], confidence [18], hesitancy [19], or reluctance [20,21], and other tools specifically aimed at assessing psychological barriers to vaccination [22].…”