Assessing the psychological factors associated with vaccine hesitancy: psychometric properties of the psychological factors in healthcare behavior questionnaire (PF-HBQ).

Authors

Rosalia De Biase, Laura Catalano, Francesco Panico, Isa Zappullo, Francesca D'Olimpio, Luigi Trojano, Laura Sagliano

Published in

Frontiers in public health. Volume 14. Pages 1864623. Epub Sep 18, 2026.

Abstract

Health-related decision-making is influenced by a complex interplay of cognitive, emotional, and personality-related factors. Psychological characteristics such as distress, personality traits, and maladaptive cognitive patterns play a central role in shaping how individuals perceive medical information, engage with healthcare systems, and adhere to health-related recommendations. Understanding these determinants is essential for clarifying individual differences in healthcare behaviors and for informing effective interventions in clinical and public health contexts. The present research introduces the Psychological Factors in Healthcare Behavior Questionnaire (PF-HBQ), a novel instrument designed to assess psychological dimensions relevant to healthcare-related decision-making. Overall, the PF-HBQ was developed to capture individual differences in psychological functioning that may influence attitudes and behaviors in medical contexts.
The research was conducted through two studies. In Study 1, the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were evaluated on a large sample of individuals (N=472, 149 males, aged 18-86 years) by performing confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, assessing test-retest reliability and convergent and divergent validity. In Study 2, differences in psychological factors between vaccine hesitant vs. non-hesitant individuals were explored in a further sample of participants (N=192, 47 males aged 18-71 years).
The results showed that the PF-HBQ questionnaire is a reliable and comprehensive tool for assessing 9 psychological factors (Suspiciousness, General Distress, Extraversion, Openness, Procrastination, Depressive Symptoms, Post-Traumatic Symptoms, Obsessive-Compulsive Traits, Emotional Stability) relevant to healthcare decision-making and shaping health-related attitudes and behaviors, including vaccination-related decision-making.
These findings may contribute to a deeper understanding of psychological influences on healthcare engagement and support the development of tailored public health strategies.

PMID:
42827459
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Oct 2026.

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