Understanding the Impact of General Vaccine Attitudes on the Intent for Early COVID-19 Vaccination.

Despite relatively high rates of population spread, morbidity and mortality, the adoption of COVID-19 vaccines among the eligible populations was relatively slow. Some of the reasons for vaccination hesitancy and refusals have been attributed to unique aspects of this pandemic, including attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines. However, little attention has been paid to the role of underlying vaccine beliefs in the likelihood of early vaccine adoption for COVID-19. This study provides a more comprehensive assessment of factors influencing willingness to get an early vaccination, and the relative contribution of general vaccine attitudes, compared to demographics, perceived threat and institutional trust. Monthly national surveys were conducted between June and November 2020 using a national consumer panel of U.S. adults (n = 6185). By late November, only 24% of respondents said they were very likely to get a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it became available. While COVID-19 risk perceptions, confidence and trust in key institutions and information sources, and some demographic variables, were predictive of early vaccination intent, general beliefs regarding vaccines played a significant role, even compared to demographics, perceived risk and institutional trust. This lesson from the COVID-19 experience could help inform public health communications in future epidemics.

Better Understanding Adult COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy and Refusal: The Influence of Broader Beliefs about Vaccines.

Published surveys in the United States provide much evidence that COVID-19 vaccination is influenced by disease and vaccine-related risk perceptions. However, there has been little examination of whether individual's general beliefs about vaccines are also related to COVID-19 vaccination, especially among unvaccinated adults. This study used an August 2021 national survey of 1000 U.S. adults to examine whether general beliefs about vaccines were associated with COVID-19 vaccination status. In addition, it used multivariate analyses to assess the relative contribution of individual vaccine beliefs to current vaccine status independently of COVID-19-specific attitudes and experiences, and demographics. The findings indicated that, collectively, general vaccine beliefs mattered more than demographics, COVID-19-specific risk perceptions, confidence in government, or trust in public health agencies in COVID-19 vaccination status. Overall, the findings affirm the importance of vaccine education and communication efforts that help people understand why vaccines are needed, how vaccine safety is established and monitored, and how vaccines provide protection from infectious diseases. To achieve success among vaccine-hesitant individuals, communication strategies should target vaccine beliefs that most influence vaccination outcomes.

Psychological hardiness in women with paraplegia.

A revised model of psychological hardiness suggests that transformational coping, positive health behaviors, and activistic social support may be qualitative indicators of hardiness and an expression of the synergistic presence of commitment, control, and challenge. Hardiness indicators correlate with health rather than illness, and have an indirect effect on the stress-illness relationship through health. Stress and illness also correlate with health. A secondary qualitative analysis of the transcripts of eight women with paraplegia revealed three major themes related to spinal cord injury (SCI): physiological aspects of SCI, associated with the traumatic event and its consequences; psychological aspects of SCI, associated with problem-solving, choices, and challenges; and social aspects of SCI, associated with personal and professional relationships.