Adaptation of the Russian version of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale

Context and relevance. There is a lack of Russian-language methods for determining attitudes toward factors common to different types of vaccination. Objective. This article is focused on testing the psychometric properties of the translated Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale of L.R. Martin & K.J. Petrie. The scale includes subscales of mistrust of vaccine benefit, worries about unforeseen future effects, concerns about commercial profiteering, and preference for natural immunity. Methods and materials. The study was conducted in an online survey format; the sample was collected by gender-age quotas and totaled 400 individuals. To check the construct validity, we used a scale measuring attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination and a questionnaire on conspiracy beliefs about vaccination. To check the criterion validity, behavioral indicators were used: voluntariness of COVID-19 vaccination and other diseases, experience of complications and worsening of well-being after COVID-19 vaccination, and planning for future COVID-19 vaccination. Results. The validity check yielded the expected correlations with the scales and indicators used. Internal consistency was 0.899. Conclusions. The Russian version of the VAX scale showed high internal consistency and a stable factor structure, its construct and criterion validity were confirmed.

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