Examinando por Autor "Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés"

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Acceso abierto
COVID-19 anxiety, psychological well-being and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean: relationships and explanatory model
(SPRINGER, 2022-07-22) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; M. Tomás, José; D. Valencia, Pablo; Ventura-León, José; W. Vilca,Lindsey; Carbajal-León, Carlos; Cervigni, Mauricio; Martino, Pablo; Palacios, Diego Alejandro; Moreta-Herrera; Samaniego-Pinho, Antonio; Lobos Rivera, Marlon Elías; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Corrales-Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Pinto Tapia, Bismarck; Franco Ferrari
This study assesses the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and subjective well-being in terms of the mediating role of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Additionally, the contribution of sociodemographic factors (sex and age) and risk perception on COVID-19 anxiety and its potential measurement invariance was tested in 5655 participants from 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. A mixture of both latent and observable variables were analyzed using a system of structural equations. The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) and single-item measures were used to assess the perceived probability of death, perceived severity and concern about transmitting COVID-19. The results indicated that there is a significant and relevant direct effect of COVID-19 anxiety on participants' well-being. Furthermore, COVID-19 anxiety significantly predicted both preventive behavior (β = .29, p < .01) and well-being (β = –.32, p < .01). The effects of COVID anxiety and preventive behavior explained 9.8% of the variance in well-being (R-square = .098); whereas, 8.4% of the variance in preventive behavior was associated with COVID anxiety (R-square = .084). Likewise, perceived likelihood of death from COVID, perceived severity of COVID, and concerns about COVID transmission were positively related to anxiety. Age was negatively related to anxiety, with men being less anxious than women. The results are invariant by country, i.e., the broad relationships found in the combined sample are also present in each individual country. The findings indicate that, although the exact relationships between variables may vary between countries, there are enough similarities to provide useful information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in each of the countries included in the study.
Acceso abierto
Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the purpose in life test - Short form (PIL-SF) in seven Latin American countries
(SPRINGER, 2022-07-28) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; W. Vilca, Lindsey; Cervigni, Mauricio; Gallegos, Miguel; Martino, Pablo; Calandra, Manuel; Rey Anacona, Cesar Armando; López-Calle, Claudio; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Chacón-Andrade, Edgardo René; Lobos-Rivera, Marlon Elías; Gamarra Recalde, Olivia; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; White, Michael; Burgos Videla, Carmen; Carbajal-León, Carlos
The aim was to test the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL-SF in a sample of people from seven Latin American countries. Additionally, the characteristics of the PIL-SF items were evaluated and to assess the relationship between purpose in life, as measured by the PIL-SF, and fear of COVID-19. A total of 4306 people from seven Latin American countries participated in the study. The results indicated that the PIL-SF is invariant in the seven participating countries and, therefore, there is evidence that the items reflect the purpose of life in the same way in all countries. This allows comparisons of purpose in life between countries that are free of bias, reflecting the true differences in how countries respond to items. From IRT, the discrimination parameters are adequate and indicate that the items cover a wide range of the purpose in life construct. The difficulty parameters are adequate and increase monotonically. This indicates that people would need a higher level of purpose in life to respond to the higher response categories. Thus, the PIL-SF items would be useful in determining people with a relatively high degree of purpose in life. Identifying people with different levels of purpose in life would allow them to be part of intervention programs, either to support those with low levels or to maintain and reinforce their purpose in life. The evidence of cross-country measurement invariance of the PIL-SF provides a measure to be used in cross-cultural studies about the meaning of life.
Acceso abierto
Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the purpose in life test - Short form (PIL-SF) in seven Latin American countries
(SPRINGER, 2022-07-28) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; W. Vilca, Lindsey; Cervigni, Mauricio; Gallegos, Miguel; Martino, Pablo; Calandra, Manuel; Rey Anacona, Cesar Armando; López-Calle, Claudio; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Chacón-Andrade, Edgardo René; Lobos-Rivera, Marlon Elías; Gamarra Recalde, Olivia; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; White, Michael; Burgos Videla, Carmen; Carbajal-León, Carlos
The aim was to test the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL-SF in a sample of people from seven Latin American countries. Additionally, the characteristics of the PIL-SF items were evaluated and to assess the relationship between purpose in life, as measured by the PIL-SF, and fear of COVID-19. A total of 4306 people from seven Latin American countries participated in the study. The results indicated that the PIL-SF is invariant in the seven participating countries and, therefore, there is evidence that the items reflect the purpose of life in the same way in all countries. This allows comparisons of purpose in life between countries that are free of bias, reflecting the true differences in how countries respond to items. From IRT, the discrimination parameters are adequate and indicate that the items cover a wide range of the purpose in life construct. The difficulty parameters are adequate and increase monotonically. This indicates that people would need a higher level of purpose in life to respond to the higher response categories. Thus, the PIL-SF items would be useful in determining people with a relatively high degree of purpose in life. Identifying people with different levels of purpose in life would allow them to be part of intervention programs, either to support those with low levels or to maintain and reinforce their purpose in life. The evidence of cross-country measurement invariance of the PIL-SF provides a measure to be used in cross-cultural studies about the meaning of life.
Acceso abierto
“Cross‑cultural measurement invariance of the purpose in life test ‑ Short form (PIL‑SF) in seven Latin American countries“
(Springer, 2022-07) Caycho‑Rodríguez, Tomás; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Cervigni, Mauricio; Gallegos, Miguel; Martino, Pablo; Calandra, Manuel; Rey Anacona, Cesar Armando; López‑Calle, Claudio; Moreta‑Herrera, Rodrigo; Chacón‑Andrade, Edgardo René; Lobos‑Rivera, Marlon Elías; Del Carpio, Perla; Quintero, Yazmín; Robles, Erika; Panza Lombardo, Macerlo; Gamarra Recalde, Olivia; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; White, Michael; Burgos Videla, Carmen; Carbajal‑León, Carlos
“The aim was to test the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL-SF in a sample of people from seven Latin American countries. Additionally, the characteristics of the PIL-SF items were evaluated and to assess the relationship between purpose in life, as measured by the PIL-SF, and fear of COVID-19. A total of 4306 people from seven Latin American countries participated in the study. The results indicated that the PIL-SF is invariant in the seven participating countries and, therefore, there is evidence that the items refect the purpose of life in the same way in all countries. This allows comparisons of purpose in life between countries that are free of bias, refecting the true diferences in how countries respond to items. From IRT, the discrimination parameters are adequate and indicate that the items cover a wide range of the purpose in life construct. The difculty parameters are adequate and increase monotonically. This indicates that people would need a higher level of purpose in life to respond to the higher response categories. Thus, the PIL-SF items would be useful in determining people with a relatively high degree of purpose in life. Identifying people with diferent levels of purpose in life would allow them to be part of intervention programs, either to support those with low levels or to maintain and reinforce their purpose in life. The evidence of cross-country measurement invariance of the PIL-SF provides a measure to be used in cross-cultural studies about the meaning of life.“
Acceso abierto
Cross-national measurement invariance of the Purpose in Life Test in seven Latin American countries
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-09-16) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Cervigni, Mauricio; Gallegos, Miguel; Martino, Pablo; Calandra, Manuel; Rey Anacona, Cesar Armando; López-Calle, Claudio; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Chacón-Andrade, Edgardo René; Lobos-Rivera, Marlon Elías; Del Carpio, Perla; Quintero, Yazmín; Robles, Erika; Panza Lombardo, Macerlo; Gamarra Recalde, Olivia; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; White, Michael; Burgos-Videla, Carmen
“The Purpose in Life Test (PIL) is a measure of purpose in life widely used in many cultures and countries; however, cross-cultural assessments are scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL in the general population of seven Latin American countries (Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay). A total of 4306 people participated, selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling, where Uruguay has the highest mean age (M = 41.8; SD = 16.6 years); while Ecuador has the lowest mean age (M = 24.6; SD = 7.8 years). Furthermore, in each country, there is a higher proportion of women (>60%) than men (<40%). Using Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis, the factorial structure does not show evidence of invariance among the included countries. However, based on the Multi-Group Factor Analysis Alignment, there is evidence that a three-dimensional structure of the PIL (Meaning of existence, Freedom to make meaning in daily life and Will to find meaning in the face of future challenges) is the same in the participating countries. Results based on item response theory indicate that most PIL items can significantly differentiate responses according to the level of life purpose. In addition, people with low life purpose will tend to choose the lower response alternatives on the PIL; while people with higher life purpose will choose higher response alternatives. The findings indicate that the PIL has the potential to increase knowledge about how people conceive and experience their purpose in life in different countries. “
Acceso abierto
Cross-national measurement invariance of the Purpose in Life Test in seven Latin American countries
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-09-16) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Cervigni, Mauricio; Gallegos, Miguel; Martino, Pablo; Calandra, Manuel; Rey Anacona, Cesar Armando; López-Calle, Claudio; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Chacón-Andrade, Edgardo René; Lobos-Rivera, Marlon Elías; Del Carpio, Perla; Quintero, Yazmín; Robles, Erika; Panza Lombardo, Macerlo; Gamarra Recalde, Olivia; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; White, Michael; Burgos-Videla, Carmen
“The Purpose in Life Test (PIL) is a measure of purpose in life widely used in many cultures and countries; however, cross-cultural assessments are scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL in the general population of seven Latin American countries (Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay). A total of 4306 people participated, selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling, where Uruguay has the highest mean age (M = 41.8; SD = 16.6 years); while Ecuador has the lowest mean age (M = 24.6; SD = 7.8 years). Furthermore, in each country, there is a higher proportion of women (>60%) than men (<40%). Using Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis, the factorial structure does not show evidence of invariance among the included countries. However, based on the Multi-Group Factor Analysis Alignment, there is evidence that a three-dimensional structure of the PIL (Meaning of existence, Freedom to make meaning in daily life and Will to find meaning in the face of future challenges) is the same in the participating countries. Results based on item response theory indicate that most PIL items can significantly differentiate responses according to the level of life purpose. In addition, people with low life purpose will tend to choose the lower response alternatives on the PIL; while people with higher life purpose will choose higher response alternatives. The findings indicate that the PIL has the potential to increase knowledge about how people conceive and experience their purpose in life in different countries. “
Acceso abierto
Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-06-14) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; Valencia, Pablo D.; Ventura-León, José; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Carbajal-León, Carlos; Reyes-Bossio, Mario; White, Michael; Rojas-Jara, Claudio; Polanco-Carrasco, Roberto; Gallegos, Miguel; Cervigni, Mauricio; Martino, Pablo; Palacios, Diego Alejandro; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Samaniego-Pinho, Antonio; Lobos-Rivera, Marlon Elías; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Puerta-Cortés, Diana Ximena; Corrales-Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Pinto Tapia, Bismarck; Arias Gallegos, Walter L.; Petzold, Olimpia
“Aims: Over the past 2 years, the vaccine conspiracy beliefs construct has been used in a number of different studies. These publications have assessed the determinants and outcomes of vaccine conspiracy beliefs using, in some cases, pooled data from different countries, and compared the results across these contexts. However, studies often do not consider measurement invariance as a necessary requirement for comparative analyses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the crosscultural MI of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 12 Latin American countries. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory analysis and alignment method were applied to test measurement invariance in a large number of groups. Results: The COVID-VCBS showed robust psychometric properties and measurement invariance for both factor loadings and crosstabs. Also, a higher level of acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines is necessary to respond to higher response categories. Similarly, greater acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines was related to a lower intention to be vaccinated. Conclusion: The results allow for improved understanding of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines in the countries assessed; furthermore, they provide researchers and practitioners with an invariant measure that they can use in cross-cultural studies in Latin America. However, further studies are needed to test invariance in other countries, with the goal of developing a truly international measure of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines.“
Acceso abierto
Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-06-14) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; Valencia, Pablo D.; Ventura-León, José; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Carbajal-León, Carlos; Reyes-Bossio, Mario; White, Michael; Rojas-Jara, Claudio; Polanco-Carrasco, Roberto; Gallegos, Miguel; Cervigni, Mauricio; Martino, Pablo; Palacios, Diego Alejandro; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Samaniego-Pinho, Antonio; Lobos-Rivera, Marlon Elías; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Puerta-Cortés, Diana Ximena; Corrales-Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Pinto Tapia, Bismarck; Arias Gallegos, Walter L.; Petzold, Olimpia
“Aims: Over the past 2 years, the vaccine conspiracy beliefs construct has been used in a number of different studies. These publications have assessed the determinants and outcomes of vaccine conspiracy beliefs using, in some cases, pooled data from different countries, and compared the results across these contexts. However, studies often do not consider measurement invariance as a necessary requirement for comparative analyses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the crosscultural MI of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 12 Latin American countries. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory analysis and alignment method were applied to test measurement invariance in a large number of groups. Results: The COVID-VCBS showed robust psychometric properties and measurement invariance for both factor loadings and crosstabs. Also, a higher level of acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines is necessary to respond to higher response categories. Similarly, greater acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines was related to a lower intention to be vaccinated. Conclusion: The results allow for improved understanding of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines in the countries assessed; furthermore, they provide researchers and practitioners with an invariant measure that they can use in cross-cultural studies in Latin America. However, further studies are needed to test invariance in other countries, with the goal of developing a truly international measure of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines.“
Acceso abierto
Is the meaning of subjective well‑being similar in Latin American countries? A cross‑cultural measurement invariance study of the WHO‑5 well‑being index during the COVID‑19 pandemic
(SCIE, 2023-04-06) Caycho‑Rodríguez, Tomás; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Valencia, Pablo D.; Carbajal‑León, Carlos; Reyes‑Bossio, Mario; White, Michel; Rojas‑Jara, Claudio; Polanco‑Carrasco, Roberto; Gallegos, Miguel; Cervigni, Mauricio; Martino, Pablo; Palacios, Diego Alejandro; Moreta‑Herrera, Rodrigo; Samaniego‑Pinho, Antonio; Lobos‑Rivera, Marlon Elías; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Puerta‑Cortés, Diana Ximena; Corrales‑Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Ferrari, Ilka Franco; Flores‑Mendoza, Carmen
“Background There is an urgent need to assess changes in well-being on a multinational scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus culturally valid scales must be available. Methods With this in mind, this study examined the invariance of the WHO well-being index (WHO-5) among a sam‑ ple of 5183 people from 12 Latin Americans countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). Results The results of the present study indicate that the WHO-5 is strictly invariant across samples from diferent Latin American countries. Furthermore, the results of the IRT analysis indicate that all items of the WHO-5 were highly discriminative and that the difculty required to respond to each of the fve items is ascending. Additionally, the results indicated the presence of moderate and small size diferences in subjective well-being among most countries. Conclusion The WHO-5 is useful for assessing subjective well-being in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, since the diferences between scores can be attributed to diferences in well-being and not in other characteristics of the scale.“
Acceso abierto
Is the meaning of subjective well‑being similar in Latin American countries? A cross‑cultural measurement invariance study of the WHO‑5 well‑being index during the COVID‑19 pandemic
(SCIE, 2023-04-06) Caycho‑Rodríguez, Tomás; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Valencia, Pablo D.; Carbajal‑León, Carlos; Reyes‑Bossio, Mario; White, Michel; Rojas‑Jara, Claudio; Polanco‑Carrasco, Roberto; Gallegos, Miguel; Cervigni, Mauricio; Martino, Pablo; Alejandro Palacios, Diego; Moreta‑Herrera, Rodrigo; Samaniego‑Pinho, Antonio; Lobos‑Rivera, Marlon Elías; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Puerta‑Cortés, Diana Ximena; Corrales‑Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Franco Ferrari, Ilka; Flores‑Mendoza, Carmen
“Background There is an urgent need to assess changes in well-being on a multinational scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus culturally valid scales must be available. Methods With this in mind, this study examined the invariance of the WHO well-being index (WHO-5) among a sam‑ ple of 5183 people from 12 Latin Americans countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). Results The results of the present study indicate that the WHO-5 is strictly invariant across samples from diferent Latin American countries. Furthermore, the results of the IRT analysis indicate that all items of the WHO-5 were highly discriminative and that the difculty required to respond to each of the fve items is ascending. Additionally, the results indicated the presence of moderate and small size diferences in subjective well-being among most countries. Conclusion The WHO-5 is useful for assessing subjective well-being in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, since the diferences between scores can be attributed to diferences in well-being and not in other characteristics of the scale.“
Acceso abierto
Is the meaning of subjective well-being similar in Latin American countries? A cross-cultural measurement invariance study of the WHO-5 well-being index during the COVID-19 pandemic
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2023-04-06) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; Vilca, Lindsey W; Valencia , Pablo D; Carbajal-León, Carlos; Reyes-Bossio, Mario; White, Michel; Rojas-Jara, Claudio; Polanco-Carrasco, Roberto; Gallegos, Miguel; Cervigni , Mauricio; Martino, Pablo; Palacios, Diego Alejandro; Moreta-Herrera , Rodrigo; Samaniego-Pinho, Antonio; Lobos-Rivera, Marlon Elías; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Puerta-Cortés, Diana Ximena; Corrales-Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Franco Ferrari, Ilka; Flores-Mendoza, Carmen
“Background: There is an urgent need to assess changes in well-being on a multinational scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus culturally valid scales must be available. Methods: With this in mind, this study examined the invariance of the WHO well-being index (WHO-5) among a sample of 5183 people from 12 Latin Americans countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). Results: The results of the present study indicate that the WHO-5 is strictly invariant across samples from different Latin American countries. Furthermore, the results of the IRT analysis indicate that all items of the WHO-5 were highly discriminative and that the difficulty required to respond to each of the five items is ascending. Additionally, the results indicated the presence of moderate and small size differences in subjective well-being among most countries. Conclusion: The WHO-5 is useful for assessing subjective well-being in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, since the differences between scores can be attributed to differences in well-being and not in other characteristics of the scale.“
Acceso abierto
Network analysis of the relationships between conspiracy beliefs towards COVID-19 vaccine and symptoms of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of latin american countries
(SPRINGER, 2022-09-07) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; Ventura-León, José; Valencia, Pablo D.; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Carbajal-León, Carlos; Reyes-Bossio, Mario; Delgado-Campusano, Mariel; Rojas-Jara, Claudio; Polanco-Carrasco, Roberto; Gallegos, Miguel; Cervigni, Mauricio; Martino, Pablo; Palacios, Diego Alejandro; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Samaniego-Pinho, Antonio; Lobos Rivera, Marlon Elías; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Puerta-Cortés, Diana Ximena; Corrales-Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Pinto Tapia, Bismarck; Arias Gallegos, Walter L.; Petzold, Olimpia
“The present study examined how conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines specifcally relate to symptoms of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of four South American countries. A total of 1785 people from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru participated, responding to a sociodemographic survey, the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19 S) and the Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale-COVID-19 (VCBS-COVID-19). Network analysis identifed the most important symptoms of fear and conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines (nodes) and the associations between them (edges). In addition, the robustness of the network of these indicators of centrality and the possible diferences in the structure and connectivity of the networks between the four countries were evaluated. The results suggest that the nodes with the highest centrality were items 2 and 5 of the FCV-19 S and item 2 of the VCBS-COVID-19. Likewise, item 6 is the belief that most predicts conspiracy beliefs about vaccines against COVID-19; while item 6 was the symptom that most predicts fear of COVID-19. The fndings strongly support cross-cultural similarities in the networks across the four countries rather than diferences. Although it was expected that a higher presence of symptoms of fear of COVID-19 may lead people to compensate for their fear by believing in conspiratorial ideas about vaccines and, consequently, rejecting the COVID-19 vaccine, the results do not clearly show this relationship. This could lead other researchers to generate evidence to explain the diferences between Latin American countries and countries in other contexts in terms of vaccination rates. This evidence could be useful to develop policies favoring vaccination against COVID-19 that are more contextualized to the Latin American region, characterized by social instability and economic recession during the pandemic.“
Acceso abierto
Network analysis of the relationships between conspiracy beliefs towards COVID-19 vaccine and symptoms of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of latin american countries
(SPRINGER, 2022-09-07) Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás; Ventura-León, José; D. Valencia, Pablo; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Carbajal-León, Carlos; Reyes-Bossio, Mario; Delgado-Campusano, Mariel; Rojas-Jara, Claudio; Polanco-Carrasco, Roberto; Gallegos, Miguel; Cervigni, Mauricio; Martino, Pablo; Palacios, Diego Alejandro; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Samaniego-Pinho, Antonio; Lobos Rivera, Marlon Elías; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Puerta-Cortés, Diana Ximena; Corrales-Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Pinto Tapia, Bismarck; Arias Gallegos, Walter L.; Petzold, Olimpia
“The present study examined how conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines specifcally relate to symptoms of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of four South American countries. A total of 1785 people from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru participated, responding to a sociodemographic survey, the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19 S) and the Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale-COVID-19 (VCBS-COVID-19). Network analysis identifed the most important symptoms of fear and conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines (nodes) and the associations between them (edges). In addition, the robustness of the network of these indicators of centrality and the possible diferences in the structure and connectivity of the networks between the four countries were evaluated. The results suggest that the nodes with the highest centrality were items 2 and 5 of the FCV-19 S and item 2 of the VCBS-COVID-19. Likewise, item 6 is the belief that most predicts conspiracy beliefs about vaccines against COVID-19; while item 6 was the symptom that most predicts fear of COVID-19. The fndings strongly support cross-cultural similarities in the networks across the four countries rather than diferences. Although it was expected that a higher presence of symptoms of fear of COVID-19 may lead people to compensate for their fear by believing in conspiratorial ideas about vaccines and, consequently, rejecting the COVID-19 vaccine, the results do not clearly show this relationship. This could lead other researchers to generate evidence to explain the diferences between Latin American countries and countries in other contexts in terms of vaccination rates. This evidence could be useful to develop policies favoring vaccination against COVID-19 that are more contextualized to the Latin American region, characterized by social instability and economic recession during the pandemic.“