Despite the massive volume of scientific evidence on the benefits of immunisation, vaccine hesitancy is still a global health threat and represents an obstacle to controlling the spread of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and its associated COVID-19. Thus, the present study aimed to adapt and validate an Italian version of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) scale. The Italian version of the scale (VAX-I), along with validation measures (general health perceptions, perceived sensitivity to medicines, intention to get the flu vaccine, and trust in health authorities) were administered to a sample of 534 Italian participants aged 18 to 87 (M = 32.41, SD = 15.35). The original version of the VAX scale was translated into Italian using a back-translation method. The parallel and confirmatory factor analyses showed that the scale’s four-factor structure fits the data well, as in the original version. Reliability coefficients indicated that the VAX-I scale showed good internal consistency and measurement invariance results demonstrated that the VAX-I scale is stable across gender. Construct validity was supported by the significant negative correlation with general health perceptions, intentions to get the flu vaccine, and trust in health authorities, and the weak but significant and positive correlation with perceived sensitivity to medicines. Overall, the VAX-I scale appears to be a valid instrument to assess vaccine hesitancy in the Italian context.

Physical distancing due to the COVID-19 Pandemic has limited the opportunities for family members, friends, and significant others to show physical affection (i.e., hugs, kisses, caresses, holding hands) during social interactions. The present study investigated the effects of positive touch and psychological distress in 991 Italian participants (M_age = 34.43, SD = 14.27). Results showed the frequency of hugs with the cohabiting partner significantly decreased the symptoms of depression (β = −1.187, p = 0.018, e^β = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.11–0.82), whereas the frequency of caresses with cohabiting relatives predicted the symptoms of anxiety (β = 0.575, p = 0.034, e^β = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.04–3.03). The frequency of hugs (β = −0.609, p = 0.049, e^β = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.30–1.00), and kisses (β = 0.663, p = 0.045, e^β = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.01–3.71) with non-cohabiting relatives predicted the symptoms of anxiety (χ² = 1.35, df = 5, p = 0.93). These results suggest the importance of positive touch on psychological well-being in the social context.