Development and validation of the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C): an internet-based cross-sectional study in the UK and USA
Objectives To develop and validate the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C), a multidimensional scale that addresses seven domains over 20 items including stress, fear, loneliness, sense of community, belief that the pandemic is a hoax or exaggerated, the use of and attitude to non-pharm...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2021-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/7/e043758.full |
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| author | Bella Nichole Kantor Jonathan Kantor |
| author_facet | Bella Nichole Kantor Jonathan Kantor |
| author_sort | Bella Nichole Kantor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives To develop and validate the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C), a multidimensional scale that addresses seven domains over 20 items including stress, fear, loneliness, sense of community, belief that the pandemic is a hoax or exaggerated, the use of and attitude to non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccine hesitancy, in a single measure.Design Cross-sectional validation study.Setting Internet based with respondents in the USA and UK.Participants General community respondents using the Prolific Academic platform.Main outcome measures Exploratory factor analyses with promax oblique rotation and confirmatory factor analysis including goodness of fit indices: root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), standardised root mean square residual (SRMR) and comparative fit index (CFI). Reliability as internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha. Convergent and discriminant validity using Pearson correlation coefficients.Results The sample included 351 respondents in the USA and the factorial structure was confirmed using a separate set of 348 respondents in the UK. The OPAS-C had excellent goodness of fit characteristics, with an RMSEA of 0.047 (90% CI 0.037 to 0.056), SRMR of 0.043 and CFI of 0.962. Reliability was excellent, demonstrating Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87 in both the US and UK samples. Convergent validity showed correlation coefficients of 0.54 and 0.49 in the US and UK samples, respectively. Discriminant validity demonstrated correlations of 0.21 and 0.26 in the US and UK samples, respectively.Conclusions The OPAS-C represents the first validated scale that addresses mental health measures and public health-relevant responses to COVID-19, and may be a useful measure for use in future longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. Further international validation beyond the USA and UK may be helpful. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-32d136db9933461baafa9792c46b640c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-32d136db9933461baafa9792c46b640c2025-08-20T01:47:26ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552021-07-0111710.1136/bmjopen-2020-043758Development and validation of the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C): an internet-based cross-sectional study in the UK and USABella Nichole Kantor0Jonathan Kantor1Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USAOxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, Oxford, UKObjectives To develop and validate the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C), a multidimensional scale that addresses seven domains over 20 items including stress, fear, loneliness, sense of community, belief that the pandemic is a hoax or exaggerated, the use of and attitude to non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccine hesitancy, in a single measure.Design Cross-sectional validation study.Setting Internet based with respondents in the USA and UK.Participants General community respondents using the Prolific Academic platform.Main outcome measures Exploratory factor analyses with promax oblique rotation and confirmatory factor analysis including goodness of fit indices: root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), standardised root mean square residual (SRMR) and comparative fit index (CFI). Reliability as internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha. Convergent and discriminant validity using Pearson correlation coefficients.Results The sample included 351 respondents in the USA and the factorial structure was confirmed using a separate set of 348 respondents in the UK. The OPAS-C had excellent goodness of fit characteristics, with an RMSEA of 0.047 (90% CI 0.037 to 0.056), SRMR of 0.043 and CFI of 0.962. Reliability was excellent, demonstrating Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87 in both the US and UK samples. Convergent validity showed correlation coefficients of 0.54 and 0.49 in the US and UK samples, respectively. Discriminant validity demonstrated correlations of 0.21 and 0.26 in the US and UK samples, respectively.Conclusions The OPAS-C represents the first validated scale that addresses mental health measures and public health-relevant responses to COVID-19, and may be a useful measure for use in future longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. Further international validation beyond the USA and UK may be helpful.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/7/e043758.full |
| spellingShingle | Bella Nichole Kantor Jonathan Kantor Development and validation of the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C): an internet-based cross-sectional study in the UK and USA BMJ Open |
| title | Development and validation of the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C): an internet-based cross-sectional study in the UK and USA |
| title_full | Development and validation of the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C): an internet-based cross-sectional study in the UK and USA |
| title_fullStr | Development and validation of the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C): an internet-based cross-sectional study in the UK and USA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and validation of the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C): an internet-based cross-sectional study in the UK and USA |
| title_short | Development and validation of the Oxford Pandemic Attitude Scale-COVID-19 (OPAS-C): an internet-based cross-sectional study in the UK and USA |
| title_sort | development and validation of the oxford pandemic attitude scale covid 19 opas c an internet based cross sectional study in the uk and usa |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/7/e043758.full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bellanicholekantor developmentandvalidationoftheoxfordpandemicattitudescalecovid19opascaninternetbasedcrosssectionalstudyintheukandusa AT jonathankantor developmentandvalidationoftheoxfordpandemicattitudescalecovid19opascaninternetbasedcrosssectionalstudyintheukandusa |