Disgust as an emotional driver of vaccine attitudes and uptake? A mediation analysis

Abstract

Research on the drivers of vaccine acceptance has expanded but most interventions fall short of coverage targets. We explored whether vaccine uptake is driven directly or indirectly by disgust with attitudes towards vaccines acting as a possible mediator. An online cross-sectional study of 1007 adults of the USA via Amazon's Mechanical Turk was conducted in January 2017. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: (1) items assessing attitudes towards vaccines and vaccine uptake, (2) revised Disgust Scale (DS-R) to measure Disgust Sensitivity, (3) Perceived Vulnerability to Disease scale (PVD) to measure Germ Aversion and Perceived Susceptibility, and (4) socio-demographic information. Using mediation analysis, we assess the direct, the indirect (through Vaccine Attitudes) and the total effect of Disgust Sensitivity, Germ Aversion and Perceived Susceptibility on 2016 self-reported flu vaccine uptake. Mediation analysis showed the effect of Disgust Sensitivity and Germ Aversion on vaccine uptake to be twofold: a direct positive effect on vaccine uptake and an indirect negative effect through Vaccine Attitudes. In contrast, Perceived Susceptibility was found to have only a direct positive effect on vaccine uptake. Nonetheless, these effects were attenuated and small compared to economic, logistic and psychological determinants of vaccine uptake.

A systematic review of studies that measure parental vaccine attitudes and beliefs in childhood vaccination

“…Trust is often "ill-defined and a loosely measured concept" [70]. Recent work on the moral foundations of behaviour suggests that measuring constructs such as contamination and liberty are also relevant [71,72]. Further work is needed to incorporate moral foundations, other feelings and attitudes and beliefs and trust into a single model of vaccination behaviour and test its robustness.…”

A systematic review of parental vaccine hesitancy and refusal in childhood vaccination

“…Trust is often "ill-defined and a loosely measured concept" (91). Recent work on the moral foundations of behaviour suggests that measuring constructs such as contamination and liberty are also relevant (92,93). Further work is needed to incorporate moral foundations, other feelings and attitudes and beliefs, trust, and practical barriers into a single model of vaccination behaviour and test its robustness.…”

Intentions to Seek Information About the Influenza Vaccine: The Role of Informational Subjective Norms, Anticipated and Experienced Affect, and Information Insufficiency Among Vaccinated and Unvaccinated People

“…Finally, we took a dimensional approach to the study of affect and regarded affective responses as either positive or negative (Cacioppo & Gardner, 1999). However, in this study, we focused on negative affect toward influenza because people's feelings about the diseases are largely negative (Luz, Brown, & Struchiner, 2019).…”

“…Finally, we took a dimensional approach to the study of affect and regarded affective responses as either positive or negative (Cacioppo & Gardner, 1999). However, in this study, we focused on negative affect toward influenza because people's feelings about the diseases are largely negative (Luz, Brown, & Struchiner, 2019). H5 :Negative affect toward influenza will be positively related to information insufficiency (a) and information‐seeking intention (b). H6 :Negative affect toward influenza will have an indirect, positive relation with information‐seeking intention through information insufficiency. …”