Vaccination Rates, Perceptions, and Information Sources Used by People With Inflammatory Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine vaccination rates, perceptions, and information sources in people with inflammatory arthritis. METHODS: Participants enrolled in the Australian Rheumatology Association Database were invited to participate in an online questionnaire, conducted in January 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Included questions were about vaccination history, modified World Health Organization Vaccination Hesitancy Scale, views of the information sources consulted, the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire, education, and the Single-Item Health Literacy Screener. RESULTS: Response rate was 994 of 1498 (66%). The median age of participants was 62 years, with 67% female. Self-reported adherence was 83% for the influenza vaccine. Participants generally expressed positive vaccination views, particularly regarding safety, efficacy, and access. However, only 43% knew which vaccines were recommended for them. Vaccine hesitancy was primarily attributable to uncertainty and a perceived lack of information about which vaccines were recommended. Participants consulted multiple vaccination information sources (median 3, interquartile range 2-7). General practitioners (89%) and rheumatologists (76%) were the most frequently used information sources and were most likely to yield positive views. Negative views of vaccination were most often from internet chatrooms, social media, and mainstream media. Factors of younger age, male gender, and having more concerns about the harms and overuse of medicines in general were associated with lower adherence and greater uncertainty about vaccinations, whereas education and self-reported literacy were not. CONCLUSION: Participants with inflammatory arthritis generally held positive views about vaccination, although there was considerable uncertainty as to which vaccinations were recommended for them. This study highlights the need for improved consumer information about vaccination recommendations for people with inflammatory arthritis.

The Relationship between Terminology Preferences, Empowerment and Internalised Stigma in Mental Health.

People with a mental illness may be exposed to stigma which, when internalised, negatively influences self-esteem, personal goal attainment and quality of life. However, people who are empowered may actively challenge stigma by engaging in meaningful opportunities, furthering their self-worth as they achieve control within their lives. People who are empowered through active treatment participation are more likely to reach recovery goals and experience the benefits of evidence-based practices. Hence, empowerment can be viewed as essential to the recovery and well-being of people with a mental illness. Participants in this quantitative study (N = 173) were diagnosed with a mental illness and were recruited via convenience sampling from mental health support groups in Australia. Internalised stigma was less common and empowerment more prevalent in this study than was found in previous studies. However high internalised stigma and low empowerment were present. The terms 'individual' and 'person with lived experience' which have been identified as the preferred terms in a previous study were highlighted as both empowering and recovery focussed.

Terminology Preferences in Mental Health.

People with a mental illness may be exposed to stigma which, when internalised, negatively influences self-esteem, personal goal attainment and quality of life. Avoiding the use of stigmatising language and using terminology that does not exclude the positive characteristics of the individual may play an important role in challenging stigma. This study involved a mixed method approach to identify the terminology preferences of people with a mental illness in Australia. N = 173 participants were recruited via convenience sampling. The humanistic terms 'individual' and 'person with lived experience' were identified as the preferred terms. Qualitatively there was a wide variation in how the terms made the respondents think or feel, with only one of the terms - 'survivor,' having solely negative themes. When contrasting the two most commonly used clinical terms, 'client' was significantly preferred to 'patient'. The term 'consumer' was one of the least preferred terms. This suggests that the use of this term, which is in regular use in Australia, should be reconsidered.