Mediating Effect of Chronic Illnesses in the Relationship Between Psychological Distress and COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance

Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is an emerging problem globally. This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of chronic illnesses in the relationship between psychological health and the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, prior to the national vaccine rollout in Malaysia. An online cross-sectional study was conducted in Malaysia between December 10, 2020, and February 9, 2021. In addition to the descriptive analyses, a mediation analysis was performed to examine the mediating effect of chronic illnesses in the relationship between psychological distress and the willingness to accept the vaccine. A total of 1738 participants completed the survey. The psychological distress levels were found to be significantly different across demographic factors such as age, gender, and social economic status. This study demonstrated a partial mediating effect of chronic illnesses in the relationship between psychological distress and vaccine acceptance.

Utilizing the theory of planned behavior to predict COVID-19 vaccination intention: A structural equational modeling approach

“…Our study shed new light on the intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among adults in this region, thereby expanding our understanding of this important public health issue. Moreover, although prior studies have adopted various theories to explain individuals' COVID-19 vaccination intention, such as the integrative model of behavioral prediction [ 73 ] and health behavior theories [ 42 ], this study was one of the earliest to employ the TPB [ 28 ] to explain adults’ COVID-19 vaccination intention in the context of Vietnam. Our study contributed to our knowledge by illustrating that all three attitudinal antecedents in the TPB make significant contributions to explaining why individuals have COVID-19 vaccination intention.…”