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Zhao W, Russell CM, Jankovsky A, Cannon TD, Pittenger C, Pushkarskaya H. Information processing style and institutional trust as factors of COVID vaccine hesitancy. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10416. [PMID: 38710827 PMCID: PMC11074285 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60788-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the factors contributing to COVID vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy has commonly been attributed to susceptibility to misinformation and linked to particular socio-demographic factors and personality traits. We present a new perspective, emphasizing the interplay between individual cognitive styles and perceptions of public health institutions. In January 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, 318 participants underwent a comprehensive assessment, including self-report measures of personality and clinical characteristics, as well as a behavioral task that assessed information processing styles. During 2021, attitudes towards vaccines, scientists, and the CDC were measured at three time points (February-October). Panel data analysis and structural equation modeling revealed nuanced relationships between these measures and information processing styles over time. Trust in public health institutions, authoritarian submission, and lower information processing capabilities together contribute to vaccine acceptance. Information processing capacities influenced vaccination decisions independently from the trust level, but their impact was partially mediated by authoritarian tendencies. These findings underscore the multifactorial nature of vaccine hesitancy, which emerges as a product of interactions between individual cognitive styles and perceptions of public health institutions. This novel perspective provides valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms that drive this complex phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanchen Zhao
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, 100 College St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
| | - Catherine Maya Russell
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3rd Floor, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
| | - Anastasia Jankovsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3rd Floor, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
| | - Tyrone D Cannon
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, 100 College St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3rd Floor, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Christopher Pittenger
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, 100 College St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3rd Floor, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Helen Pushkarskaya
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3rd Floor, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA.
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Ma MZ, Chen SX, Wang X. Looking beyond vaccines: Cultural tightness-looseness moderates the relationship between immunization coverage and disease prevention vigilance. Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2023. [PMID: 38105555 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Advancements in vaccination technologies mitigate disease transmission risks but may inadvertently suppress the behavioral immune system, an evolved disease avoidance mechanism. Applying behavioral immune system theory and utilizing robust big data analytics, we examined associations between rising vaccination coverage and government policies, public mobility, and online information seeking regarding disease precautions. We tested whether cultural tightness-looseness moderates the relationship between mass immunization and disease prevention vigilance. Comprehensive time series analyses were conducted using American data (Study 1) and international data (Study 2), employing transfer function modeling, cross-correlation function analysis, and meta-regression analysis. Across both the US and global analyses, as vaccination rates rose over time, government COVID-19 restrictions significantly relaxed, community mobility increased, and online searches for prevention information declined. The relationship between higher vaccination rates and lower disease prevention vigilance was stronger in culturally looser contexts. Results provide initial evidence that mass immunization may be associated with attenuated sensitivity and enhanced flexibility of disease avoidance psychology and actions. However, cultural tightness-looseness significantly moderates this relationship, with tighter cultures displaying sustained vigilance amidst immunization upticks. These findings offer valuable perspectives to inform nuanced policymaking and public health strategies that balance prudent precautions against undue alarm when expanding vaccine coverage worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mac Zewei Ma
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Sylvia Xiaohua Chen
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Xijing Wang
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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