This three-item semantic differential measures how bad a person believes a particular side effect to be. Mourali and Yang (2023) used it in the Study 1A pretest and in Study 1B, with UK residents recruited from Prolific, in research on how consumers misperceive multiple risks in medical decisions. No source was given, so the scale appears to have been created by the authors.
11-point semantic differential
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
Alphas in the Study 1A pretest were .92 for abdominal cramps and .95 for blurry vision (Mourali and Yang 2023, p. 31); in Study 1B the alpha was .91 for both upset stomach and headaches (p. 34). Validity was not discussed. The question shown to participants was not reported; asking them to rate the severity of the focal side effect would suit the items. Although used for health-related side effects, the items should work for adverse effects in many other contexts.
Mourali, Mehdi and Zhiyong Yang (2023), "Misperception of Multiple Risks in Medical Decision-Making," Journal of Consumer Research, 50 (1), 25-47.
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