Demographic, psychological, and experiential correlates of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination intentions in a sample of Canadian families.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Lackner CL
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7983323 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BACKGROUND:Investigating variables associated with mental health literacy in the college-age population takes us one step closer to providing intervention for this vulnerable group, where growing rates of psychological disorders are a serious public concern. This study adds to the existing literature by incorporating, within a single model, multi-faceted variables (demographic, psychological, and academic) that contribute to mental health literacy in demographically and ethnically diverse college students. METHODS:Participants were undergraduate students enrolled at nine different colleges that are part of a large, urban, public university system. A total of 1213 respondents (62.0% female, 73.3% non-white) completed an in-person assessment of mental health literacy and answered questions about demographics, college experience, and mental health experience. Data were analyzed to identify which variables best discriminated between high, mid-level, and low performers on this assessment. RESULTS:Discriminant correspondence analysis revealed that the difference between high and low performers (accounting for 90.27% of the total variance) was driven by participants who had taken at least one course related to clinical psychology and who typically majored in psychology and applied health science fields. These participants were more likely to report being white, female, between the ages of 28-32, and in the fourth year or later of their undergraduate program. In addition, high performers were more likely to have been diagnosed and/or treated for a psychological disorder, have more experience with psychological disorders through personal, family, or peer history, and have families who are open to discussing mental health issues. CONCLUSION:The main contributor to variation in mental health literacy scores was having taken a clinical psychology course, followed by majoring in psychology. Importantly, our findings identified not only the high performers, but also the low performers, for whom an increase in knowledge and awareness of mental health is crucial to overall psychological well-being. These results have important implications for the design of educational interventions aimed at improving mental health literacy at the college level, especially for students who otherwise would not have been exposed to this information from coursework or their major.
| S-EPMC7663887 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAcceptance of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is critical to achieving high levels of immunization. The objectives of this study were to understand mothers' SARS-CoV-2 vaccine intentions to explore reasons for and against SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.MethodsParticipants from the All Our Families pregnancy longitudinal cohort whose children had reached ages 9-12 years were invited in May-June 2020 to complete a survey on the impact of COVID-19. The survey covered topics about the impact of the pandemic and included 2 specific questions on mothers' intentions to vaccinate their child against SARS-CoV-2. Current responses were linked to previously collected data, including infant vaccine uptake. Multinomial regression models were run to estimate associations between demographic factors, past vaccination status and vaccination intention. Qualitative responses regarding factors affecting decision-making were analyzed thematically.ResultsThe response rate was 53.8% (1321/2455). A minority of children of participants had partial or no vaccinations at age 2 (n = 200, 15.1%). A total of 60.4% of mothers (n = 798) intended to vaccinate their children with the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, 8.6% (n = 113) did not intend to vaccinate and 31.0% (n = 410) were unsure. Lower education, lower income and incomplete vaccination history were inversely associated with intention to vaccinate. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses showed 10 themes, including safety and efficacy, long-term effects and a rushed process.InterpretationWithin a cohort with historically high infant vaccination, a third of mothers remained unsure about vaccinating their children against SARS-CoV-2. Given the many uncertainties about future SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, clear communication regarding safety will be critical to ensuring vaccine uptake.
| S-EPMC8177949 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In a survey and three experiments (one preregistered with a nationally representative sample), we examined if vaccination requirements are likely to backfire, as commonly feared. We investigated if relative to encouraging free choice in vaccination, requiring a vaccine weakens or strengthens vaccination intentions, both in general and among individuals with a predisposition to experience psychological reactance. In the four studies, compared to free choice, requirements strengthened vaccination intentions across racial and ethnic groups, across studies, and across levels of trait psychological reactance. The results consistently suggest that fears of a backlash against vaccine mandates may be unfounded and that requirements will promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the United States.
| S-EPMC8531364 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Successful campaigns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic depend, in part, on people's willingness to be vaccinated. It is therefore critical to understand the factors that determine people's vaccination intentions. We applied a reasoned action approach - the theory of planned behavior - to explore these factors. We used data from an online survey of adults (18-74 years; n = 5044) conducted in Germany between April 9 and April 28, 2021 and found that attitudes toward getting vaccinated predicted vaccination intentions, while normative and control beliefs did not. In turn, positive attitudes toward getting vaccinated were supported by trust in science and fear of COVID-19 whereas negative attitudes were associated with acceptance of conspiracy theories and skepticism regarding vaccines in general. We advise policymakers, physicians, and health care providers to address vaccination hesitancy by emphasizing factors that support positive attitudes toward getting vaccinated, such as prevention of serious illness, death, and long-term health detriments, as opposed to exerting social pressure or pointing to the ease of getting vaccinated.
| S-EPMC9017059 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveMain aims of the study are to examine the early psychological correlates associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on the mental health of a Spanish older adult sample and to analyze the influence of past mental disorder (PMD) and current mental disorder (CMD) on those correlates.MethodsCross-sectional study based on an online snowball recruiting questionnaire. Psychological correlates assessed with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Impact of Event Scale (IES). Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were used to identify risk and protective factors.ResultsFinal sample included 2,194 individuals aged 60 years or more (mean age [SD]: 65.62 [5.05]; females: 1,198 [54.6%]). There were 342 (15.6%) individuals who reported a PMD and 162 (7.4%) who reported a CMD. Avoidant (32.1%) and depressive (25.6%) styles were the most prevalent, regardless of mental health status. Main risk factors for negative affectivity were female gender and history CMD or PMD. However, job stability and the ability to enjoy free time were generally associated with better outcomes. No differences were found in psychological correlates between those with no lifetime history of mental disorder versus PMD on the DASS-21 or IES. However, CMD was associated with higher anxiety scores on the DASS-21 (odds ratio: 1.838, p < .001).ConclusionRegardless of mental status, avoidant and depressive styles were the most prevalent in this older adult sample. Main protective factor in all subgroups was the ability to enjoy free time, whereas the main risk factors were being female and current or past history of mental disorder.
| S-EPMC7476442 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Aims Victimisation by the police is purported to be widespread in cities in the USA, but there is limited data on police-public encounters from community samples. This is partly due to an absence of measures for assessing police violence exposure from the standpoint of civilians. As such, the demographic distribution and mental health correlates of police victimisation are poorly understood. The aims of this study were to present community-based prevalence estimates of positive policing and police victimisation based on assessment with two novel measures, and to test the hypotheses that (1) exposure to police victimisation would vary across demographic groups and (2) would be associated with depression and psychological distress.MethodsThe Survey of Police-Public Encounters study surveyed adults residing in four US cities to examine the prevalence, demographic distribution and psychological correlates of police victimisation. Participants (N = 1615) completed measures of psychological distress (K-6 scale), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9) and two newly constructed measures of civilian-reported police-public encounters. Both measures were developed to assess police victimisation based on the WHO domains of violence, which include physical violence (with and without a weapon, assessed separately), sexual violence (inappropriate sexual contact, including public strip searches), psychological violence (e.g., threatening, intimidating, stopping without cause, or using discriminatory slurs) and neglect (police not responding when called or responding too late). The Police Practices Inventory assesses lifetime history of exposure to positive policing and police victimisation, and the Expectations of Police Practices Scale assesses the perceived likelihood of future incidents of police victimisation. Linear regression models were used to test for associations between police-public encounters and psychological distress and depression.ResultsPsychological violence (18.6%) and police neglect (18.8%) were commonly reported in this sample and a substantial minority of respondents also reported more severe forms of violence, specifically physical (6.1%), sexual (2.8%) and physical with a weapon (3.3%). Police victimisation was more frequently reported by racial/ethnic minorities, males, transgender respondents and younger adults. Nearly all forms of victimisation (but not positive policing) were associated with psychological distress and depression in adjusted linear regression models.ConclusionsVictimisation by police appears to be widespread, inequitably distributed across demographic groups and psychologically impactful. These findings suggest that public health efforts to both reduce the prevalence of police violence and to alleviate its psychological impact may be needed, particularly in disadvantaged urban communities.
| S-EPMC6998899 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveAvailability of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 is critical for controlling the pandemic, but herd immunity can only be achieved with high vaccination coverage. The present research examined psychological factors associated with intentions to receive COVID-19 vaccination and whether reluctance towards novel pandemic vaccines are similar to vaccine hesitancy captured by a hypothetical measure used in previous research.MethodStudy 1 was administered to undergraduate students when COVID-19 was spreading exponentially (February-April 2020). Study 2 was conducted with online panel workers toward the end of the first U.S. wave (July 2020) as a pre-registered replication and extension of Study 1. In both studies, participants (total N = 1,022) rated their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and to vaccinate a hypothetical child for a fictitious disease, and then responded to various psychological measures.ResultsIn both studies, vaccination intentions were positively associated with past flu vaccine uptake, self-reported vaccine knowledge, vaccine confidence, and sense of collective responsibility. Complacency (not perceiving disease as high-risk), anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs, perceived vaccine danger, and mistrust in science/scientists were negative correlates of vaccination intentions. Constraints (psychological barriers), calculation (extensive information-searching), analytical thinking, perceived disease vulnerability, self-other overlap, and conservatism were weakly associated with vaccination intentions but not consistently across both studies or vaccine types. Additionally, similar factors were associated with both real and hypothetical vaccination intentions, suggesting that conclusions from pre-COVID vaccine hesitancy research mostly generalize to the current pandemic situation.ConclusionEncouraging flu vaccine uptake, enhancing confidence in a novel vaccine, and fostering a sense of collective responsibility are particularly important as they uniquely predict COVID-19 vaccination intentions. By including both actual pandemic-related hesitancy measures and hypothetical hesitancy measures from past research in the same study, this work provides key context for the generalizability of earlier non-pandemic research.
| S-EPMC8631617 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 infection is believed to adversely affect the brain, but the degree of impact on socially relevant cognitive functioning and decision-making is not well-studied, particularly among those less vulnerable to age-related mortality. The current study sought to determine whether infection status and COVID-19 symptom severity are associated with cognitive dysfunction among young and middled-aged adults in the general population, using self-reported lapses in executive control and a standardized decision-making task.MethodThe survey sample comprised 1958 adults with a mean age of 37 years (SD = 10.4); 60.8% were female. Participants reported SARS-CoV-2 infection history and, among those reporting a prior infection, COVID-19 symptom severity. Primary outcomes were self-reported symptoms of cognitive dysfunction assessed via an abbreviated form of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) and performance on a validated delay-discounting task.ResultsYoung and middle-aged adults with a positive SARS-CoV-2 infection history reported a significantly higher number of cognitive dysfunction symptoms (M adj = 1.89, SE = 0.08, CI: 1.74, 2.04; n = 175) than their non-infected counterparts (M adj = 1.63, SE = 0.08, CI: 1.47,1.80; n = 1599; β = 0.26, p = .001). Among those infected, there was a dose-response relationship between COVID-19 symptom severity and level of cognitive dysfunction reported, with moderate (β = 0.23, CI: 0.003-0.46) and very/extremely severe (β = 0.69, CI: 0.22-1.16) COVID-19 symptoms being associated with significantly greater cognitive dysfunction. These effects remained reliable and of similar magnitude after controlling for demographics, vaccination status, mitigation behavior frequency, and geographic region, and after removal of those who had been intubated during hospitalization. Very similar-and comparatively larger-effects were found for the delay-discounting task, and when using only PCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases.ConclusionsPositive SARS-CoV-2 infection history and moderate or higher COVID-19 symptom severity are associated with significant symptoms of cognitive dysfunction and amplified delay discounting among young and middle-aged adults with no history of medically induced coma.
| S-EPMC8934755 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recent studies have documented worrisome levels of hesitancy and resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine, including within the adolescent population. In this study, we examined attitudinal (perceived severity of COVID-19, vaccine-related concerns) and interpersonal (parent and peer norms) antecedents of adolescents' intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants were 916 adolescents (aged 12-17 years) from across the United States (47.3% male) representing diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds (26% African-American, 22% Hispanic/Latinx, 35% white, 7% Asian American). They completed a survey on their experiences and attitudes surrounding COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine. Parent and peer norms were distinct predictors of adolescent willingness to receive the vaccine. These norms were associated with vaccine intentions directly and indirectly through adolescents' beliefs about the vaccine's safety, efficacy, and necessity. Parent norms in particular displayed large effect sizes and explained considerable variance in adolescents' vaccine intentions. Parents and friends-who figure as adolescents' most salient interpersonal relationships-are key leveraging points in promoting adolescents' uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. Norm interventions and family-based interventions may be successful in this regard.
| S-EPMC8457932 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background Mental health issues are common among university students, but the latter are unlikely to seek professional help even when mental health services are available. Coping strategies, stigma and psychological distress are often considered as factors that can affect help-seeking intentions in university students. Methods This study aimed to determine the role of coping strategies, stigma and psychological distress on the intentions to seek professional help for psychological problems. All students (N = 13,886) from an Italian medium-sized university were asked to participate in a multidimensional online survey and 3754 (27.1%) agreed to participate. A Structural Equation Modelling approach was applied to explore the simultaneous direct and indirect effects of distress, stigma and coping strategies on professional help-seeking intentions. Results Results showed that students were not very likely to seek professional help and, through the Structural Equation Model, psychological distress was found to be positively correlated with coping strategies, which in turn was negatively associated with the stigma of seeking help. The latter was negatively associated with professional help-seeking intentions. These effects suggest that students with significant psychological distress use coping strategies to face the stigma of seeking help: the lower the stigma of seeking help, the higher the chance of developing intentions to seek professional help. Conclusions This study suggests the importance of implementing programs to encourage college students to seek help, including measures that foster a stigma-free environment, reduce psychological distress and promote the use of adaptive coping strategies. Interventions should be focused firstly on self-stigma and secondly on perceived stigma, taking into consideration the level of psychological distress and social stereotypes associated with mental disorders and help seeking behaviours. Programs about coping are also essential and should focus on promoting emotion-focused strategies and problem-focused strategies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-023-01171-w.
| S-EPMC10243082 | biostudies-literature