The Multidimensional Vaccine Hesitancy Scale: A Validation Study

Abstract

Vaccination hesitancy (VH) is a phenomenon which increases the occurrence of vaccine-preventable diseases. The study tests the validity of the Multidimensional Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (MVHS) in the case of a sample of Romanian adults (n = 528; Meanage = 30.57). The latter filled in an online cross-sectional survey. The construct validity of MVHS was assessed by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the reliability was calculated by using the internal consistency, and the convergent and discriminant validity was assessed by using the composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE). The obtained model was invariant across gender. The structural equation model was designed for predictive validity by using the partial least square method (PLS-SEM) which analyses the relation between the MVHS dimensions and the vaccination willingness. The results show support for the 8-factor structure of the scale (χ2/df = 2.48; CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.053). The Cronbach’s coefficients α > 0.70; McDonald’s ω > 0.70 and CR > 0.80 have very good values. The structural equation model shows that there are more dimensions of the scale which predict vaccination hesitancy in various types of vaccines—the main predictors remain the dimensions of health risk and healthy condition. The study’s conclusion led to the idea that the MVHS is suitable for medical practice and for research on the analysis of vaccination behaviours and intentions.

Relations of behavioral inhibition and activation system sensitivities with vaccination outcomes: Investigating the mediating role of vaccine hesitancy in older adults

“…Fifth, while significant support has been provided for the MVHS, it was only recently created (Howard, 2022a). The current article provided further evidence that the dimensions appropriately relate to vaccination outcomes, but we also replicated prior findings in supporting that Health Risks and Healthy were the two dominant explanatory mechanisms (Balgiu et al, 2022; Howard, 2022a, 2022b, 2022c; Howard and Davis, 2023). Future researchers should develop more specific hypotheses involving these two dimensions.…”

“…We test whether vaccine hesitancy mediates the relations of BIS and BAS sensitivities with vaccination outcomes in the current article by applying Howard’s (2022a) multidimensional vaccine hesitancy scale (MVHS). The MVHS has significant prior psychometric and validity support (Balgiu et al, 2022; Howard, 2022a, 2022b, 2022c; Howard and Davis, 2023), and its construct coverage is broader than most other measures of vaccine hesitancy. This operationalization includes eight dimensions that represent prominent negative perceptions about vaccination, including beliefs that vaccines are potentially dangerous (Health Risks), expensive (Cost), painful to receive (Physical Pain), a hassle to receive (Inconvenience), potentially dangerous due to specific characteristics of the respondent (Personal Reactions), difficult to obtain (Access), not needed when in good health (Healthy), and difficult to remember (Forget).…”

Assessing COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Hesitancy Using the Modified 5C Scale in Zhejiang Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…estimate > 0.5), average variance extracted (AVE > 0.5) and composite reliability (CR > 0.6) [ 53 ]. DV was assessed by comparison between the absolute value of inter-construct correlation coefficients ( r i ) and the corresponding square root of AVE [ 53 ] if the correlation was statistically significant ( p < 0.05). DV was estimated to be good if | r i | < .…”

Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy among Home Health Care Service Recipients in Saudi Arabia

“…There are several well-validated measures for assessing vaccine hesitancy, including the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS). The VHS was developed to determine the factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy and has been widely used since its development in 2015 [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. In this study, we utilized the behavioral and social drivers (BeSD) model to understand the factors influencing vaccination decision making among individuals [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”