Social and behavioral consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: Validation of a Pandemic Disengagement Syndrome Scale (PDSS) in four national contexts

The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a self-report measure that investigates people's general disengagement after the acute phases of the pandemic. Across three studies, we examined the psychometric features of the Pandemic Disengagement Syndrome Scale (PDSS) in four national contexts. In Study 1, we developed the instrument and investigated the factorial structure, internal consistency, measurement invariance across gender and countries (the United States and Italy), and discriminant validity. A bifactor model with two specific factors (Social Avoidance and Alienation) provided a better fit than the competing models. In Study 2, we tested the stability of the PDSS as well as its predictive validity. In Study 3, we conducted a quasi-experimental comparison between Norway and Sweden, to investigate whether scores on the PDSS are related to a markedly distinct approach to the pandemic in terms of mandatory lockdown. Overall, results from the three studies demonstrated that the PDSS is a valid and reliable measure of a syndrome of disengagement from others following a pandemic.