COVID-19 Bereavement in Ten Latin American Countries: Measurement Invariance of the Pandemic Grief Scale and Its Relation to Suicidal Ideation.

The present study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS) in ten Latin American countries. A total of 2,321 people who had lost a family member or other loved one due to COVID-19 participated, with a mean age of 34.22 years old (SD = 11.99). In addition to the PGS, a single item of suicidal ideation was applied. The unidimensional model of the PGS had adequate fit in most countries and good reliability estimates. There was evidence of measurement invariance by country and gender. Also, a one-point increase in the PGS was associated with an almost twofold increase in the odds of suicidal ideation. Scores greater than or equal to 4 on the PGS are proposed as a cut off to identify individuals with suicidal ideation. Strong evidence of the cross-cultural validity of the PGS is provided.

Assessment of Obsessive Thoughts About COVID-19 in 7 Latin American Countries: Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Obsession With COVID-19 Scale.

The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) among seven Latin American countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Although the OCS has been used in several countries and languages, there is a need for approaches that better integrate the cross-cultural equivalence of the scale. A total of 3185 people participated in the study. The results indicated the presence of a unidimensional structure and good reliability indices for the OCS in each country. The alignment method indicated that the OCS is an invariant measure of COVID-19 obsession among the populations of seven Latin American countries. The findings based on IRT analysis indicated that all OCS items had adequate discrimination and difficulty parameters. The findings contribute to the understanding of the internal structure of the scale in different countries at the same time, something that has been pending evaluation.

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.

The present study examined how conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines specifically 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 identified 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 differences 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 findings strongly support cross-cultural similarities in the networks across the four countries rather than differences. 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 differences 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.

Cross-cultural validation of the new version of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale in twelve Latin American countries.

The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) was recently developed to assess dysfunctional anxiety related to COVID-19. Although different studies reported that the CAS is psychometrically sound, it is unclear whether it is invariant across countries. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the measurement invariance of the CAS in twelve Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). A total of 5196 people participated, with a mean age of 34.06 (SD = 26.54). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the measurement invariance of the CAS across countries and gender. Additionally, the graded response model (GRM) was used to provide a global representation of the representativeness of the scale with respect to the COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety construct. The unidimensional structure of the five-item CAS was not confirmed in all countries. Therefore, it was suggested that a four-item model of the CAS (CAS-4) provides a better fit across the twelve countries and reliable scores. Multigroup CFA showed that the CAS-4 exhibits scalar invariance across all twelve countries and all genders. In addition, the CAS-4 items are more informative at average and high levels of COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety than at lower levels. According to the results, the CAS-4 is an instrument with strong cross-cultural validity and is suitable for cross-cultural comparisons of COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety symptoms in the general population of the twelve Latin American countries evaluated. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02563-0.

Psychometric network analysis of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) in Paraguayan general population.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are two of the most prevalent and disabling mental disorders worldwide, both in the general population and in outpatient clinical settings. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) based on network analysis metrics. METHODS: A total of 911 Paraguayans (23.71% women and 76.29% men; mean age 31.25 years, SD = 10.63), selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling, participated in the study. Network analysis was used to evaluate the internal structure, reliability, and measurement invariance between men and women. RESULTS: The results revealed that the PHQ-4 is a unidimensional measure through Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA). Reliability, through structural consistency, identified that 100% of the time, only a single dimension was obtained, and all items remained stable, as they were always replicated within the empirical dimension. The unidimensional structure has shown evidence of configural invariance; therefore, the network structure functioned equally among the different sex groups. CONCLUSION: The PHQ-4 presented optimal preliminary evidence of validity based on its internal structure, reliability, and invariance between sexes. Therefore, it may be useful as an accurate and brief measure of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the Paraguayan context.

Pandemic Grief and Suicidal Ideation in Latin American Countries: A Network Analysis.

This study aimed to characterize the network structure of pandemic grief symptoms and suicidal ideation in 2174 people from eight Latin American countries. Pandemic grief and suicidal ideation were measured using the Pandemic Grief Scale and a single item, respectively. Network analysis provides an in-depth characterization of symptom-symptom interactions within mental disorders. The results indicated that, "desire to die," "apathy" and "absence of sense of life" are the most central symptoms in a pandemic grief symptom network; therefore, these symptoms could be focal elements for preventive and treatment efforts. Suicidal ideation, the wish to die, and the absence of meaning in life had the strongest relationship. In general, the network structure did not differ among the participating countries. It identifies specific symptoms within the network that may increase the likelihood of their co-occurrence and is useful at the therapeutic level.

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.

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.

Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19, Conspiracy Beliefs About Vaccines and Intention to Vaccinate Against COVID-19: A Cross-National Indirect Effect Model in 13 Latin American Countries.

The present study explored the predictive capacity of fear of COVID-19 on the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the influence in this relationship of conspiracy beliefs as a possible mediating psychological variable, in 13 Latin American countries. A total of 5779 people recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling participated. To collect information, we used the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Vaccine conspiracy beliefs Scale-COVID-19 and a single item of intention to vaccinate. A full a priori Structural Equation Model was used; whereas, cross-country invariance was performed from increasingly restricted structural models. The results indicated that, fear of COVID-19 positively predicts intention to vaccinate and the presence of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The latter negatively predicted intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Besides, conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines had an indirect effect on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the 13 countries assessed. Finally, the cross-national similarities of the mediational model among the 13 participating countries are strongly supported. The study is the first to test a cross-national mediational model across variables in a large number of Latin American countries. However, further studies with other countries in other regions of the world are needed.

Cross-cultural invariance of the Spanish version of the COVID-19 Assessment Scorecard to measure the perception of government actions against COVID-19 in Latin America.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID-|19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries. METHODS: A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics. RESULTS: The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries. CONCLUSION: The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured.

What Is the Support for Conspiracy Beliefs About COVID-19 Vaccines in Latin America? A Prospective Exploratory Study in 13 Countries.

Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 began to emerge immediately after the first news about the disease and threaten to prolong the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting people's willingness of receiving a life-saving vaccine. In this context, this study aimed to explore the variation of conspiracy beliefs regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine against it in 5779 people living in 13 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) according to sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, educational level and source of information about COVID-19. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between September 15 and October 25, 2021. The Spanish-language COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (ECCV-COVID) and a sociodemographic survey were used. The results indicate that, in most countries, women, people with a lower educational level and those who receive information about the vaccine and COVID-19 from family/friends are more supportive of conspiracy ideas regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. In the case of age, the results vary by country. The analysis of the responses to each of the questions of the ECCV-COVID reveals that, in general, the countries evaluated are mostly in some degree of disagreement or indecision regarding conspiratorial beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The findings could help open further study which could support prevention and treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries.

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 cross-cultural 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.

Cross-Cultural Validation of a New Version in Spanish of Four Items of the Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) in Twelve Latin American Countries.

The invariance of the Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) was evaluated in 12 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). A total of 5183 people from the aforementioned countries participated, selected using the snowball sampling method. Measurement invariance was assessed by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) and Multi-Group Factor Analysis Alignment (CFA-MIAL). In addition, item characteristics were assessed based on Item Response Theory. The results indicate that the original five-item version of the PCIBS is not adequate; whereas a four-item version of the PCIBS (PCIBS-4) showed a good fit in all countries. Thus, using the MG-CFA method, the PCIBS-4 achieved metric invariance, while the CFA-MIAL method indicated that the PCIBS-4 shows metric and scalar invariance. Likewise, the four items present increasing difficulties and high values in the discrimination parameters. The comparison of means of the PCIBS-4 reported irrelevant differences between countries; however, Mexico and Peru presented the highest frequency of preventive behaviors related to COVID-19. It is concluded that the PCIBS-4 is a unidimensional self-report measure which is reliable and invariant across the twelve participating Latin American countries. It is expected that the findings will be of interest to social and health scientists, as well as those professionals directly involved in public health decision making.

Psychometric network analysis of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) in Paraguayan general population

Abstract Background Depression and anxiety are two of the most prevalent and disabling mental disorders worldwide, both in the general population and in outpatient clinical settings. Objective This study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) based on network analysis metrics. Methods A total of 911 Paraguayans (23.71% women and 76.29% men; mean age 31.25 years, SD = 10.63), selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling, participated in the study. Network analysis was used to evaluate the internal structure, reliability, and measurement invariance between men and women. Results The results revealed that the PHQ-4 is a unidimensional measure through Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA). Reliability, through structural consistency, identified that 100% of the time, only a single dimension was obtained, and all items remained stable, as they were always replicated within the empirical dimension. The unidimensional structure has shown evidence of configural invariance; therefore, the network structure functioned equally among the different sex groups. Conclusion The PHQ-4 presented optimal preliminary evidence of validity based on its internal structure, reliability, and invariance between sexes. Therefore, it may be useful as an accurate and brief measure of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the Paraguayan context.

Cross-cultural invariance of the Spanish version of the COVID-19 Assessment Scorecard to measure the perception of government actions against COVID-19 in Latin America

Abstract Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID--19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries. Methods A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics. Results The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries. Conclusion The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured.

Psychometric Evidence of the Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale in Peruvian Elderly / Evidencia Psicométrica de la Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida de Diener en adultos mayores peruanos / Evidência psicométrica da Escala de Satisfação com a Vida de Diener em Pessoas Idosas Peruanas

Abstract Introduction: In recent years, satisfaction with life has aroused the interest of gerontological research, thus being one of the most used concepts to measure subjective well-being, in addition to being an indicator of successful aging. Materials and methods: The psychometric properties of the Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale were assessed in Peruvian elderly individuals. The instrument was applied to 236 elderly from the city of Trujillo (78.4 % female and 21.6 % male), with an average age of 72.8 years old, and their standard deviation = 6.90. In order to obtain convergent and discriminant validity, the tests Single Item of Satisfaction with Life Scale, Brief Resilient Coping Scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale were conducted. Results: Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale shows a one-dimensional structure (χ2 = 10.960, df = 5, p = .05, χ2/ά/ = 2.192, GFI = .983, CFI = .994, NFI = .988; RMSEA = .071 [ci 90 % .000, .129]; and SRMR = .013), presenting positive correlations with resilience and negative correlations with depression. Moreover, it presents a high reliability index estimated by the method of internal consistency with the Cronbach's Alpha Test (α = .93), Omega coefficient (ω = .93; ci 95 %: .92 -.95) and GLB = .94. Conclusion: For purposes of research -among other-, we recommend the use of the Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale for Peruvian elderly persons.

Resumen Introducción: en los últimos años, la satisfacción con la vida ha despertado el interés de la investigación gerontológica, siendo uno de los conceptos más utilizados para medir el bienestar subjetivo, además de constituir un indicador del envejecimiento exitoso. Materiales y métodos: se evaluaron las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida de Diener en adultos mayores peruanos. Participaron 236 personas (78.40 % mujeres; 21.60 % hombres). La edad promedio fue de 72.8 años y su desviación estándar = 6.90 (desviación standard). Para obtener evidencia de validez convergente y discriminante se aplicaron la prueba de Ítem Único de Satisfacción con la Vida, la Brief Resilient Coping Scale y la Escala de Depresión Geriátrica. Resultados: se encuentra que la Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida muestra una estructura unidimensional (χ2 = 10.960, df = 5, p = .05, x2/df = 2.192, GFI = .983, CFI = .994, NFI = .988; RMSEA = .071 [IC 90 % .000, .129]; y SRMR = .013), se relaciona positivamente con la resiliencia y negativamente con la depresión. Además, presenta altos índices de consistencia interna (alfa = .93; ic 95 %: .90-.94; omega = .93; ic 95 %: .92-.95 y GLB =.94). Conclusión: cuando menos, para propósitos de investigación se recomienda uso de la Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida en adultos mayores peruanos.

Resumo Introdução: nos últimos anos, a satisfação com a vida tem despertado o interesse da investigação gerontológica, sendo um dos conceitos mais utilizados para medir o bem-estar subjetivo, para além de construir um indicador do envelhecimento bem-sucedido. Materiais e métodos: avaliaram-se as propriedades psicométricas da Escala de Satisfação com a Vida de Diener em idosos peruanos. Participaram 236 pessoas (78.40% mulheres; 21.60% homens). A idade média foi de 72.8 anos e Desvio padrão = 6.90. para obter evidência de validez convergente e discriminante, se aplicaram a prova de Item Único de Satisfação com a Vida, o Brief Resilient Coping Scale e a Escala de Depressão Geriátrica. Resultados: encontra-se que a Escala de Satisfação com a Vida mostra uma estrutura unidimensional (χ2 = 10.960, df = 5, p = .05, x2/df = 2.192, GFI = .983, CFI = .994, NFI = .988; RMSEA = .071 [ic90 2% .000, .129]; e SRMR = .013), se relaciona positivamente com a resiliência e negativamente com a depressão. Para além disso, apresenta altos índices de consistência interna (alfa = .93; ic 95 %:.90-.94; omega=.93; ic 95 %: .92-.95 e GLB = .94). Conclusão: pelo menos para propósitos de pesquisa, recomenda-se o uso da Escala de Satisfação com a Vida em idosos peruanos.

Variables relacionadas con ansiedad social en adolescentes: un modelo de regresión lineal múltiple / Variables related to socialanxiety in adolescents: a multiple linear regression model

El objetivo fue construir un modelo de regresión múltiple para investigar la relación entre ansiedad social, sensibilidad a la ansiedad, rasgo de ansiedad y miedo a la evaluación negativa, y comparar hombres con mujeres. La investigación fue cuantitativa, no experimental, correlacional y transversal. Se evaluó a 689 adolescentes entre 14 y 19 años (M=16.45; DE=1.11), a través de la escala de Ansiedad Social para Adolescentes (SAS-A), la subescala Ansiedad-Rasgo del Inventario de Ansiedad Rasgo-Estado (STAI), la versión breve de escala de Miedo a la Evaluación Negativa (BFNE) y el Índice de Sensibilidad a la Ansiedad-3 (ASI-3). El género femenino presentó mayor media en ansiedad rasgo con tamaño de efecto pequeño (d=-.27). Las correlaciones fueron positivas entre bajas y moderadas. La correlación parcial y semiparcial más alta fue entre SAS-A y ASI. Se construyó un modelo de regresión válido y estadísticamente significativo y explicó el 41.2% de la varianza de la ansiedad social (R2=.412) con tamaño de efecto grande.

The objective was to build a multiple regression model to investigate the relationship between social anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, trait anxiety and fear of negative evaluation, and to compare men and women. The research was quantitative, not experimental, correlational and cross-sectional. 689 adolescents between 14 and 19 years (M=16.45; SD=1.11) were evaluated, through the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A), the trait subscale of the Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI), the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) and Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) were applied. Female gender showed higher mean in trait anxiety with small effect size (d=-.27). Correlations were positive from low to moderate. The higher partial and semipartial correlation was between SAS-A and ASI. A valid regression model and statistically significant was constructed and explained 41.2% of the variance of social anxiety (R2=.412) with large effect size.