Perceived vulnerability to disease: Development and validation of a 15-item self-report instrument

Many phenomena in the realm of social cognition and behavior are influenced by the extent to which individuals perceive themselves to be vulnerable to infectious diseases. Existing individual-difference measures that might assess this construct are limited in their applicability. This article reports the development and psychometric evaluation of a 15-item perceived vulnerability to disease questionnaire, designed to assess individual differences in chronic concerns about the transmission of infectious diseases. Data from 1539 respondents revealed that the 15 items loaded on two internally consistent subscales. One subscale assesses beliefs about one’s own susceptibility to infectious diseases (Perceived Infectability); the other assesses emotional discomfort in contexts that connote an especially high potential for pathogen transmission (Germ Aversion). Additional analyses provide evidence bearing on the convergent, discriminate, and predictive validity of each subscale.