Perceived vulnerability to disease: adaptation and validation of the PVD-br

Perceived vulnerability to disease is characterized by the extent to which individuals perceive themselves to be susceptible to contracting infectious diseases, as well as by the emotional discomfort that results from assessing the risk of getting contaminated by pathogens. The PVD self-report scale, which measures this construct, is widely used internationally. However, it has not yet been adapted for Brazil. To address this gap, we adapted and validated the PVD scale for the Brazilian context (PVD-br) in four studies. Study 1 (N = 39) addressed translation, expert validation, and assessment of the comprehensibility of the scale’s items. Study 2 (N = 200) showed that the items were organized into two correlated factors and tested the scale’s items quality using the Item Response Theory. Study 3 (N = 201) confirmed the bifactorial structure and examined the invariance of PVD-br for men and women, while Study 4 analyzed the convergent (N = 432) and discriminant (N = 181) validity of the instrument. Results indicate strong evidence of content, factorial, and criterion validity.