Development of a japanese version of the perceived vulnerability to disease scale

Abstract

This study developed a Japanese version of the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease (PVD) scale. Analysis of the data from Japanese university students (N = 435) replicated the two-factor structure of the original scale: one factor that assessed beliefs about one's own susceptibility to infectious diseases (perceived infectability) and the other factor that assessed emotional discomfort in contexts that connoted an especially high potential for pathogen transmission (germ aversion). Tests of reliability and validity for each subscale indicated overall promising results. It would appear that the results reflect at least in part an evolutionary adaptive psychological mechanism for the ancestral environment.