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Abstract Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID-|19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries. Methods A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics. Results The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries. Conclusion The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured.

Cada amanecer marca una tensión entre el oscuro pasado y el claro devenir. Pero la oscuridad no evoca la maldad o la desolación, ni la claridad a la bondad o a la calidez de un suceder. Por el contrario, la primera determina una consciencia del pasado entretejida por el olvido en el idealizado desorden y caos de la memoria épica; mientras que en la luz se gesta el progreso, la memoria eternizada, ordenada y pausada por una peligrosa teleología de vida. Sin embargo, algunos ignoran que en el vasto universo de posibilidades las insignificancias poseen la capacidad de iluminar todo de un golpe. Ignoran cómo lo inexpresivo de este universo absorbe a la luz, a la razón de las cosas. El Código Civil Francés de 1804 es un gran ejemplo de esa ingenuidad. Un suceso contado en una sola dirección, sin bemoles, sin retraso. Un proceso que impone la mejor forma de vivir: así fue planeada la codificación. Entonces, debe proceder la dislocación de su eje central, el Code: contemplarse a sí mismo como aquel que observa un amanecer, conjurando la amalgama de colores antes no vistos, desde el oscuro pasado hasta la claridad del futuro.

Abstract Background There is an urgent need to assess changes in well-being on a multinational scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus culturally valid scales must be available. Methods With this in mind, this study examined the invariance of the WHO well-being index (WHO-5) among a sample of 5183 people from 12 Latin Americans countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). Results The results of the present study indicate that the WHO-5 is strictly invariant across samples from different Latin American countries. Furthermore, the results of the IRT analysis indicate that all items of the WHO-5 were highly discriminative and that the difficulty required to respond to each of the five items is ascending. Additionally, the results indicated the presence of moderate and small size differences in subjective well-being among most countries. Conclusion The WHO-5 is useful for assessing subjective well-being in 12 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, since the differences between scores can be attributed to differences in well-being and not in other characteristics of the scale.

Los procedimientos penales muchas veces están diseñados para dilucidar la verdad detrás de una escena criminal. Sin embargo, la verdad siempre ha sido subjetiva, contextual y cultural, siempre dependerá del grado de convicción de los medios de prueba y los sesgos de las partes procesales que construyen esos medios y esos hechos. Entonces, si partimos de que la verdad es relativa, los procedimientos penales deben reorientar su proceso de construcción probatoria. Para ello, las técnicas de juicio oral y los estándares probatorios se han presentado como herramientas apropiadas para construir esa realidad. En particular, los estándares probatorios se materializan como umbrales que demandan un determinado nivel de convicción probatoria que relaciona el hecho delictivo con la participación del sujeto procesado. Sin embargo, estos estándares con la nueva regulación procesal de la Ley 1826 de 2017 se han visto alterados, en especial aquellos relacionados con la imposición de la medida de aseguramiento.

AimsOver the past 2 years, the vaccine conspiracy beliefs construct has been used in a number of different studies. These publications have assessed the determinants and outcomes of vaccine conspiracy beliefs using, in some cases, pooled data from different countries, and compared the results across these contexts. However, studies often do not consider measurement invariance as a necessary requirement for comparative analyses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the cross-cultural MI of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 12 Latin American countries.MethodsConfirmatory factor analysis, item response theory analysis and alignment method were applied to test measurement invariance in a large number of groups.ResultsThe COVID-VCBS showed robust psychometric properties and measurement invariance for both factor loadings and crosstabs. Also, a higher level of acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines is necessary to respond to higher response categories. Similarly, greater acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines was related to a lower intention to be vaccinated.ConclusionThe results allow for improved understanding of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines in the countries assessed; furthermore, they provide researchers and practitioners with an invariant measure that they can use in cross-cultural studies in Latin America. However, further studies are needed to test invariance in other countries, with the goal of developing a truly international measure of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines.

Conspiracy theories about COVID-19 began to emerge immediately after the first news about the disease and threaten to prolong the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting people’s willingness of receiving a life-saving vaccine. In this context, this study aimed to explore the variation of conspiracy beliefs regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine against it in 5779 people living in 13 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) according to sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, educational level and source of information about COVID-19. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between September 15 and October 25, 2021. The Spanish-language COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (ECCV-COVID) and a sociodemographic survey were used. The results indicate that, in most countries, women, people with a lower educational level and those who receive information about the vaccine and COVID-19 from family/friends are more supportive of conspiracy ideas regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. In the case of age, the results vary by country. The analysis of the responses to each of the questions of the ECCV-COVID reveals that, in general, the countries evaluated are mostly in some degree of disagreement or indecision regarding conspiratorial beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The findings could help open further study which could support prevention and treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.