The anti-vaccination movement: when does a belief become delusional?

Fusick, Adam J.; Gunther, Steven; Sullivan, Gregory A.

doi:10.1007/s10389-020-01244-9

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The results demonstrate that among vaccinated individuals, higher levels of VH were related to higher level of anxiety, depression and peritraumatic distress. These findings support the notion that holding ambivalent attitudes toward vaccination are related to mental health morbidity ( Fusick et al, 2020 ). Furthermore, it seems that receiving COVID-19 vaccinations does not eliminate the effect of VH on psychiatric morbidity, and that some individuals who report VH continue, despite their decision to receive the vaccine, to demonstrate clinical levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, possibly due to their fears regarding its safety and long-lasting effects ( Palamenghi et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Vaccine hesitancy (VH), negative attitudes, reluctance or even refusal to be vaccinated, is considered a major global health threat to the worldwide efforts to deal with COVID-19 ( Taylor et al, 2020 ). Such hesitations may stem from general mistrust in science, conspiratorial attitudes, or overvalued ideas regarding the safety of the vaccine, and it is unclear whether this phenomenon represents mental health psychopathology or normative (albeit not mainstream) ways of thought ( Fusick et al, 2020 ). The novel vaccination opportunities in Israel enable us to examine the connections between VH and psychiatric morbidity among individuals who have chosen to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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No psychological vaccination: Vaccine hesitancy is associated with negative psychiatric outcomes among Israelis who received COVID-19 vaccination

Palgi

Bergman

Ben‐David

et al. 2021

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Background The widespread COVID-19 vaccination program, issued by the Israel Government, provides a unique opportunity to examine psychiatric morbidity and vaccine attitudes among individuals who have already been vaccinated. Accordingly, the current study examined how vaccination hesitancy contributes to clinical levels of depression, anxiety, and peritraumatic stress among individuals who had received COVID-19 vaccinations. Methods We analyzed data obtained from 254 vaccinated individuals, and assessed vaccination hesitancy, depression, anxiety, and peritraumatic distress, as well as several demographic, health, and COVID-19-related factors. Results Logistic regressions demonstrated that above and beyond socio-demographic, health, and COVID-19-related factors, COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy was the most prominent risk factor for anxiety, depression, and peritraumatic distress. Higher levels of vaccine hesitancy were found to double the risk for depression and peritraumatic stress (ORs > 2), and to triple the risk for anxiety (OR > 3). Limitations A cross-sectional design; a preliminary study requiring further investigation Conclusions This study points to the importance of vaccine hesitancy among vaccinated populations and provides knowledge regarding its associations with negative psychiatric outcomes. These findings may offer important information for healthcare practitioners and policy makers in their attempt to encourage individuals to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and emphasize the need to further understand the underlying mechanisms of psychiatric morbidity among vaccinated individuals.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No psychological vaccination: Vaccine hesitancy is associated with negative psychiatric outcomes among Israelis who received COVID-19 vaccination

Palgi

Bergman

Ben‐David

et al. 2021

Journal of Affective Disorders

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“…The current study examines whether vaccination in this context is perceived as a ‘possible’ light at the end of the pandemic tunnel or as a potent stressor. The novelty and speedy development of the new COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine contributed to a great deal of misinformation and the spread of conspiratorial fears ( Donovan, 2020 ; Fusick et al, 2020 ). Vaccine concerns were particularly prominent in Israel during the initial vaccination stage, as Israel was the first country to roll out a nationwide vaccination program (Ministry of Health, Israel, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with current posttraumatic stress disorder among COVID-19 vaccinated older adults in Israel

Palgi

Greenblatt‐Kimron

Ben–Ezra

2021

Journal of Psychiatric Research

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This is the first study to examine COVID-19 vaccine-related stressors in the context of current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms amongst older adults exposed to traumatic events prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, with particular focus on the associations between ageism, vaccine-related stressors and PTSD. Five hundred and sixty-three participants aged 65 and above reported exposure to at least one traumatic event, their current PTSD level, physical and mental health, ageist attitudes, and vaccine related stressors. Univariate logistic regression revealed that depressive symptoms, ageism, vaccine hesitancy and severity of side effects were the main factors associated with clinical levels of current PTSD. These results suggest that older adults were vulnerable to intensified PTSD symptoms, not only as a result of greater depression, but also as a consequence of other factors, including ageism, vaccination hesitancy and vaccination side effects. Practitioners would benefit from awareness to these factors.

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“…Although there is much evidence [1] that vaccines are one of the most effective public health interventions in history, they are still surrounded by criticism [2]. Vaccine rejection has important economic, social and health consequences since wide vaccine acceptance is necessary not only in order to maintain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases but also to ensure the adoption of novel vaccines [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validity of the Spanish Version of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale

Paredes

Cárdaba²,

Cambra

et al. 2021

Vaccines

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Individuals vary in the extent to which they have unfavorable attitudes towards vaccines. The Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale is a recently developed brief 12-item questionnaire created to better understand general vaccination attitudes. The current research aimed at providing a Spanish adaptation of the VAX Scale. After conducting an initial pilot study, Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the Spanish version of the scale had good internal consistency and factor structure (Study 1), discriminant validity from other individual differences measures (such as the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire and the Medical Mistrust Index) as well as good predictive validity of relevant vaccination-related outcomes (Study 2). In conclusion, in the present research, the Spanish version of the VAX scale proved to have a high internal consistency, showed convergent validity with other conceptually similar constructs, and successfully predicted vaccination intentions and vaccination decisions. Having this scale available in Spanish will allow researchers to analyze vaccination processes and vaccine hesitancy over a great number of people.

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The anti-vaccination movement: when does a belief become delusional?

Abstract: Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Cited by 13 publications

References 4 publications

No psychological vaccination: Vaccine hesitancy is associated with negative psychiatric outcomes among Israelis who received COVID-19 vaccination

No psychological vaccination: Vaccine hesitancy is associated with negative psychiatric outcomes among Israelis who received COVID-19 vaccination

Factors associated with current posttraumatic stress disorder among COVID-19 vaccinated older adults in Israel

Validity of the Spanish Version of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale

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