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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONSPIRACY BELIEFS, FEAR OF INJECTION, ATTITUDE TOWARDS COVID-19 VACCINE, AND VACCINE HESITANCY

Year 2022, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 363 - 376, 20.11.2022

Fuat Yalman Yalçın Karagöz

Abstract

Aim: The main purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between conspiracy beliefs, fear of injection, attitude towards COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccine hesitancy.
Methods: A population-based cross-sectional research design was used in the study. The population of the study consisted of individuals over the age of 18 residing in Adana city center between January and March 2022. The data were collected from 496 people using the online questionnaire technique. SPSS 23 and AMOS 26 package programs were used in the analysis of the data.
Results: The effect of co1nspiracy theories on COVID-19 on vaccine hesitancy over attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines was found to be negative. Similarly, the effect of fear of injection on vaccine hesitancy on attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines was found to be negative.
Conclusion: Therefore, the attitude towards the COVID-19 vaccine partially mediates the relationship between the conspiracy theories towards COVID-19, fear of injection, and vaccine hesitancy.

Keywords

Conspiracy Beliefs Fear of Injection COVID-19 Attitude Hesitation

References

  • Ahmed, W.; Vidal-Alaball, J.; Downing, J.; Lopez Segui, F. COVID-19 and the 5G Conspiracy Theory: Social Network Analysis of Twitter Data. J. Med. Internet Res. 2020, 22, e19458. Altmann DM, Douek DC, Boyton RJ. What policy makers need to know about COVID-19 protective immunity. Lancet 2020;395:1527–9.
  • Bertin, P.; Nera, K.; Delouvee, S. Conspiracy Beliefs, Rejection of Vaccination, and Support for hydroxychloroquine: A Conceptual Replication-Extension in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context. Front. Psychol. 2020, 11, 565128.
  • Bierwiaczonek, K., Kunst, J. R., & Pich, O. (2020). Belief in COVID‐19 conspiracy theories reduces social distancing over time. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 12(4), 1270-1285.
  • Coustasse A, Kimble C, Maxik K. COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Challenge the United States Must Overcome. J Ambul Care Manage. 2021; 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1097/JAC.0000000000000360 PMID: 33165121.
  • Coustasse A, Kimble C, Maxik K. COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Challenge the United States Must Overcome. J Ambul Care Manage. 2021; 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1097/JAC.0000000000000360 PMID: 33165121.
  • De Figueiredo, A.; Simas, C.; Karafillakis, E.; Paterson, P.; Larson, H.J. Mapping global trends in vaccine confidence and investigating barriers to vaccine uptake: A large-scale retrospective temporal modelling study. Lancet 2020, 396, 898–908.
  • Duplaga, M. ve Grysztar, M. (2021). The Association between Future Anxiety, Health Literacy and the Perception of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare, 9(1), 43.
  • Ehreth J. The value of vaccination: a global perspective. Vaccine. 2003; 21(27):4105–17. https://doi. org/10.1016/s0264-410x(03)00377-3 PMID: 14505886.
  • Fisher KA, Bloomstone SJ, Walder J, Crawford S, Fouayzi H, Mazor KM. Attitudes Toward a Potential SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Survey of U.S. Adults. Ann Intern Med. 2020. https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-3569 PMID: 32886525; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7505019.
  • Freeman, D., Lambe, S., Yu, L-M., Freeman, J., Chadwick, A., Vaccari, C., Waite, F., Rosebrock, L. et al (2021). Injection fears and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Psychological Medicine 1– 11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721002609.
  • Freeman, D., Loe, B. S., Chadwick, A., Vaccari, C., Waite, F., Rosebrock, L., ... & Lambe, S. (2020). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK: the Oxford coronavirus explanations, attitudes, and narratives survey (Oceans) II. Psychological medicine, 1-15.
  • Freeman, D., Loe, B.S., Chadwick, A., Vaccari, C., Waite, F., Rosebrock, L., Jenner, L. et al (2021). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK: the Oxford coronavirus explanations, attitudes, and narratives survey (Oceans) II. Psychological Medicine 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720005188.
  • French J, Deshpande S, Evans W, Obregon R. Key Guidelines in Developing a Pre-Emptive COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake Promotion Strategy. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(16). Epub 2020/08/23. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165893 PMID: 32823775; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7459701.
  • Hajj Hussein I, Chams N, Chams S, El Sayegh S, Badran R, Raad M, et al. Vaccines Through Centuries: Major Cornerstones of Global Health. Front Public Health. 2015; 3:269. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpubh.2015.00269 PMID: 26636066; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4659912.
  • Jolley, D.; Douglas, K.M. The effects of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories on vaccination intentions. PLoS ONE 2014, 9, e89177.
  • Kestenbaum, L.A. and Feemster, K.A. (2015). Identifying and addressing vaccine hesitancy. Pediatr Ann, 44(4):e71-5. doi: 10.3928/00904481-20150410-07.
  • Larson, H.J., Cooper, L.Z., Eskola, J., Katz, S.L., Ratzan, S. (2011).Addressing the vaccine confidence gap. Lancet, 6(378):526-35.
  • Larsona HJ., Jarrett C., Schulz WS, Chaudhuri M., Zhouc Y., Dube E., Schuster M., MacDonaldf NE., Wilsona R., the SAGE Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy. Measuring vaccine hesitancy: The development of a survey tool. Vaccine 33(2015)4165–4175
  • MacDonald NE. V accine hesitancy: Definition, scope and determinants. V accine. 2015; 33(34):4161–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.036 PMID: 25896383.
  • MacDonald, N.E.; SAGEWorking Group on Vaccine Hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy: Definition, scope and determinants. Vaccine 2015, 33, 4161–4164.
  • Neergaard L, Fingerhut H. AP-NORC poll: Half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine: Associated Press; May 28, 2020 [cited 2020 December 14]. Available from: https://apnews.com/article/dacdc8bc428dd4df6511bfa259cfec44.
  • Neumann-Bo ̈hme S, Varghese NE, Sabat I, Barros PP, Brouwer W, van Exel J, et al. Once we have it, will we use it? A European survey on willingness to be vaccinated against COVID- 19. The European Journal of Health Economics. 2020; 21(7):977–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-020-01208-6 PMID: 32591957.
  • Omer SB, Yildirim I, Forman HP. Herd Immunity and Implications for SARS-CoV-2 Control. JAMA. 2020; 324(20):2095–6. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.20892 PMID: 33074293.
  • Phadke, V.K.; Bednarczyk, R.A.; Salmon, D.A.; Omer, S.B. Association Between Vaccine Refusal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States: A Review of Measles and Pertussis. JAMA 2016, 315, 1149–1158.
  • Pummerer, L., Böhm, R., Lilleholt, L., Winter, K., Zettler, I., & Sassenberg, K. (2020). Conspiracy theories and their societal effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 19485506211000217.
  • Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health 2nd National Vaccine Workshop [Internet]. Çalıştay Raporu. 2016 24-26 March [cited 2021 March 03]. Available from: http://www.enfeksiyon.org.tr/2.calistayrapor.pdf.
  • Romer, D. & Jamieson, K.H. (2020). Conspiracy theories as barriers to controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., Social Science & Medicine, 263:113356. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113356.
  • Salmon, D.A., Moulton, L.H., Omer, S.B., DeHart, M.P., Stokley, S., Halsey, N.A. (2005). Factors associated with refusal of childhood vaccines among parents of school-aged children: a case- control study. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 159:470-76.
  • Shahsavari, S.; Holur, P.; Wang, T.; Tangherlini, T.R.; Roychowdhury, V. Conspiracy in the time of corona: Automatic detection of emerging COVID-19 conspiracy theories in social media and the news. J. Comput Soc. Sci 2020, 3, 1–39.
  • Shapiro, G.K., Tatar, O., Dube, E., Amsel, R., Knauper, B., Naz, A., ... Rosberger, Z. (2018). The vaccine hesitancy scale: Psychometric properties and validation. Vaccine, 36, 660–667.
  • Shen, S.C.; Dubey, V. Addressing vaccine hesitancy: Clinical guidance for primary care physicians working with parents. Can. Fam. Physician. 2019, 65, 175–181.
  • Turkish Medical Association [Internet]. COVID-19 Aşılarına Dair TTB Tutum Belgesi. 2020 February [cited 2021 March 03]. Available from: https://www.ttb.org.tr/haber_goster.php?Guid=16228f12-44ef-11eb-b786- a19f39419a42.
  • Uscinski, J. E., Enders, A. M., Klofstad, C., Seelig, M., Funchion, J., Everett, C., ... & Murthi, M. (2020). Why do people believe COVID-19 conspiracy theories?. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, 1(3).
  • Weigmann, K. (2018). The genesis of a conspiracy theory: Why do people believe in scientific conspiracy theories and how do they spread?. EMBO reports, 19(4), e45935.
  • World Health Organization (WHO). Ten Threats to Global Health in 2019. 2019. Available online: https://www.who.int/newsroom/spotlight/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019 (accessed on 10 Janoary 2022).
  • Zimmer C, Corum J, Wee S-L. Coronavirus vaccine tracker US: The New York Times; 2020 [cited 2020 December 13]. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirusvaccine- tracker.html.

Year 2022, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 363 - 376, 20.11.2022

Fuat Yalman Yalçın Karagöz

Abstract

References

  • Ahmed, W.; Vidal-Alaball, J.; Downing, J.; Lopez Segui, F. COVID-19 and the 5G Conspiracy Theory: Social Network Analysis of Twitter Data. J. Med. Internet Res. 2020, 22, e19458. Altmann DM, Douek DC, Boyton RJ. What policy makers need to know about COVID-19 protective immunity. Lancet 2020;395:1527–9.
  • Bertin, P.; Nera, K.; Delouvee, S. Conspiracy Beliefs, Rejection of Vaccination, and Support for hydroxychloroquine: A Conceptual Replication-Extension in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context. Front. Psychol. 2020, 11, 565128.
  • Bierwiaczonek, K., Kunst, J. R., & Pich, O. (2020). Belief in COVID‐19 conspiracy theories reduces social distancing over time. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 12(4), 1270-1285.
  • Coustasse A, Kimble C, Maxik K. COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Challenge the United States Must Overcome. J Ambul Care Manage. 2021; 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1097/JAC.0000000000000360 PMID: 33165121.
  • Coustasse A, Kimble C, Maxik K. COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Challenge the United States Must Overcome. J Ambul Care Manage. 2021; 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1097/JAC.0000000000000360 PMID: 33165121.
  • De Figueiredo, A.; Simas, C.; Karafillakis, E.; Paterson, P.; Larson, H.J. Mapping global trends in vaccine confidence and investigating barriers to vaccine uptake: A large-scale retrospective temporal modelling study. Lancet 2020, 396, 898–908.
  • Duplaga, M. ve Grysztar, M. (2021). The Association between Future Anxiety, Health Literacy and the Perception of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare, 9(1), 43.
  • Ehreth J. The value of vaccination: a global perspective. Vaccine. 2003; 21(27):4105–17. https://doi. org/10.1016/s0264-410x(03)00377-3 PMID: 14505886.
  • Fisher KA, Bloomstone SJ, Walder J, Crawford S, Fouayzi H, Mazor KM. Attitudes Toward a Potential SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Survey of U.S. Adults. Ann Intern Med. 2020. https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-3569 PMID: 32886525; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7505019.
  • Freeman, D., Lambe, S., Yu, L-M., Freeman, J., Chadwick, A., Vaccari, C., Waite, F., Rosebrock, L. et al (2021). Injection fears and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Psychological Medicine 1– 11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721002609.
  • Freeman, D., Loe, B. S., Chadwick, A., Vaccari, C., Waite, F., Rosebrock, L., ... & Lambe, S. (2020). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK: the Oxford coronavirus explanations, attitudes, and narratives survey (Oceans) II. Psychological medicine, 1-15.
  • Freeman, D., Loe, B.S., Chadwick, A., Vaccari, C., Waite, F., Rosebrock, L., Jenner, L. et al (2021). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK: the Oxford coronavirus explanations, attitudes, and narratives survey (Oceans) II. Psychological Medicine 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720005188.
  • French J, Deshpande S, Evans W, Obregon R. Key Guidelines in Developing a Pre-Emptive COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake Promotion Strategy. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(16). Epub 2020/08/23. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165893 PMID: 32823775; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7459701.
  • Hajj Hussein I, Chams N, Chams S, El Sayegh S, Badran R, Raad M, et al. Vaccines Through Centuries: Major Cornerstones of Global Health. Front Public Health. 2015; 3:269. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpubh.2015.00269 PMID: 26636066; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4659912.
  • Jolley, D.; Douglas, K.M. The effects of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories on vaccination intentions. PLoS ONE 2014, 9, e89177.
  • Kestenbaum, L.A. and Feemster, K.A. (2015). Identifying and addressing vaccine hesitancy. Pediatr Ann, 44(4):e71-5. doi: 10.3928/00904481-20150410-07.
  • Larson, H.J., Cooper, L.Z., Eskola, J., Katz, S.L., Ratzan, S. (2011).Addressing the vaccine confidence gap. Lancet, 6(378):526-35.
  • Larsona HJ., Jarrett C., Schulz WS, Chaudhuri M., Zhouc Y., Dube E., Schuster M., MacDonaldf NE., Wilsona R., the SAGE Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy. Measuring vaccine hesitancy: The development of a survey tool. Vaccine 33(2015)4165–4175
  • MacDonald NE. V accine hesitancy: Definition, scope and determinants. V accine. 2015; 33(34):4161–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.036 PMID: 25896383.
  • MacDonald, N.E.; SAGEWorking Group on Vaccine Hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy: Definition, scope and determinants. Vaccine 2015, 33, 4161–4164.
  • Neergaard L, Fingerhut H. AP-NORC poll: Half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine: Associated Press; May 28, 2020 [cited 2020 December 14]. Available from: https://apnews.com/article/dacdc8bc428dd4df6511bfa259cfec44.
  • Neumann-Bo ̈hme S, Varghese NE, Sabat I, Barros PP, Brouwer W, van Exel J, et al. Once we have it, will we use it? A European survey on willingness to be vaccinated against COVID- 19. The European Journal of Health Economics. 2020; 21(7):977–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-020-01208-6 PMID: 32591957.
  • Omer SB, Yildirim I, Forman HP. Herd Immunity and Implications for SARS-CoV-2 Control. JAMA. 2020; 324(20):2095–6. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.20892 PMID: 33074293.
  • Phadke, V.K.; Bednarczyk, R.A.; Salmon, D.A.; Omer, S.B. Association Between Vaccine Refusal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States: A Review of Measles and Pertussis. JAMA 2016, 315, 1149–1158.
  • Pummerer, L., Böhm, R., Lilleholt, L., Winter, K., Zettler, I., & Sassenberg, K. (2020). Conspiracy theories and their societal effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 19485506211000217.
  • Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health 2nd National Vaccine Workshop [Internet]. Çalıştay Raporu. 2016 24-26 March [cited 2021 March 03]. Available from: http://www.enfeksiyon.org.tr/2.calistayrapor.pdf.
  • Romer, D. & Jamieson, K.H. (2020). Conspiracy theories as barriers to controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., Social Science & Medicine, 263:113356. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113356.
  • Salmon, D.A., Moulton, L.H., Omer, S.B., DeHart, M.P., Stokley, S., Halsey, N.A. (2005). Factors associated with refusal of childhood vaccines among parents of school-aged children: a case- control study. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 159:470-76.
  • Shahsavari, S.; Holur, P.; Wang, T.; Tangherlini, T.R.; Roychowdhury, V. Conspiracy in the time of corona: Automatic detection of emerging COVID-19 conspiracy theories in social media and the news. J. Comput Soc. Sci 2020, 3, 1–39.
  • Shapiro, G.K., Tatar, O., Dube, E., Amsel, R., Knauper, B., Naz, A., ... Rosberger, Z. (2018). The vaccine hesitancy scale: Psychometric properties and validation. Vaccine, 36, 660–667.
  • Shen, S.C.; Dubey, V. Addressing vaccine hesitancy: Clinical guidance for primary care physicians working with parents. Can. Fam. Physician. 2019, 65, 175–181.
  • Turkish Medical Association [Internet]. COVID-19 Aşılarına Dair TTB Tutum Belgesi. 2020 February [cited 2021 March 03]. Available from: https://www.ttb.org.tr/haber_goster.php?Guid=16228f12-44ef-11eb-b786- a19f39419a42.
  • Uscinski, J. E., Enders, A. M., Klofstad, C., Seelig, M., Funchion, J., Everett, C., ... & Murthi, M. (2020). Why do people believe COVID-19 conspiracy theories?. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, 1(3).
  • Weigmann, K. (2018). The genesis of a conspiracy theory: Why do people believe in scientific conspiracy theories and how do they spread?. EMBO reports, 19(4), e45935.
  • World Health Organization (WHO). Ten Threats to Global Health in 2019. 2019. Available online: https://www.who.int/newsroom/spotlight/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019 (accessed on 10 Janoary 2022).
  • Zimmer C, Corum J, Wee S-L. Coronavirus vaccine tracker US: The New York Times; 2020 [cited 2020 December 13]. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirusvaccine- tracker.html.
There are 36 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Makaleler
Authors

Fuat Yalman This is me 0000-0002-1041-1837

Yalçın Karagöz This is me 0000-0001-5642-6498

Publication Date November 20, 2022
Submission Date October 3, 2022
Acceptance Date November 10, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 7 Issue: 3

Cite

APA Yalman, F., & Karagöz, Y. (2022). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONSPIRACY BELIEFS, FEAR OF INJECTION, ATTITUDE TOWARDS COVID-19 VACCINE, AND VACCINE HESITANCY. International Journal of Health Management and Tourism, 7(3), 363-376.
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