Effect of psychological factors on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

Abstract

Background Vaccine hesitancy can prevent full immunization against coronavirus infectious disease-19 (COVID-19). We hypothesized that multiple factors, including an individual's personality and psychological factors, are associated with vaccine hesitancy. Methods A total of 275 non-vaccinated individuals were recruited for this study. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire including sociodemographic factors, health status, COVID-19 literacy and psychological factors (depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety, somatization, illness anxiety, temperament and character). In a hierarchical logistic regression analysis, a discrete set of hierarchical variables with vaccine acceptance or hesitancy as the dependent variable was added to the demographic factors for Model 1; Model 1 + health status for Model 2; Model 2 + COVID-19 literacy for Model 3 and Model 3 + psychological factors for Model 4. Results Models 3 and 4 could predict vaccine hesitancy. High scores on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and the Illness Attitude Scale, low confidence, low collective responsibility and low reward dependence were risk factors for vaccine hesitancy. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that psychological factors play critical roles in vaccine hesitancy. In addition to conventional policies that emphasize COVID-19 vaccines' safety and efficacy and the collective benefits of vaccination, a more individualized approach that considers an individual's emotions and personality is necessary.