Psychological Reactance Theory and COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates: The Roles of Threat Magnitude and Direction of Threat

Kriss, Lauren A.; Quick, Brian L.; Rains, Stephen A.; Barbati, Juliana L.

doi:10.1080/10810730.2022.2148023

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…A study by Kriss et al involving university students and vaccine mandates also found that uncertainty infringes upon a sense of control [ 30 ]. They found that an indirect threat to freedom created more uncertainty and thus more resistance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological reactance, misinformation, and distrust: A mixed methods analysis of COVID-19 vaccine uptake

Huang,

Huschka,

Barwise

et al. 2024

J. Clin. Trans. Sci.

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Background: Assessing perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccines is essential for understanding vaccine hesitancy and for improving uptake during public health emergencies. In the complicated landscape of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and rampant misinformation, many individuals faced challenges during vaccination decision-making. The purpose of our mixed methods study is to elucidate factors affecting vaccine decision-making and to highlight the discourse surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines in diverse and underserved communities. Methods: This mixed methods study was conducted in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, and Wisconsin between March and November 2021, combining a cross-sectional survey (n = 3593) and focus groups (n = 47). Results: The groups least likely to report receiving a vaccination were non-Hispanic Whites, Indigenous people, males, and those with moderate socioeconomic status (SES). Those indicating high and low SES reported similar vaccination uptake. Focus group data highlighted resistance to mandates, distrust, misinformation, and concerns about the rapid development surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines. Psychological reactance theory posits that strongly persuasive messaging and social pressure can be perceived as a threat to freedom, encouraging an individual to take action to restore that freedom. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that a subsection of participants felt pressured to get the vaccine, which led to weaker intentions to vaccinate. These results suggest that vaccine rollout strategies should be reevaluated to improve and facilitate informed decision-making.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological reactance, misinformation, and distrust: A mixed methods analysis of COVID-19 vaccine uptake

Huang,

Huschka,

Barwise

et al. 2024

J. Clin. Trans. Sci.

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“…This moral preference aligns with their beliefs surrounding mistrust and the findings that typical behaviors included sourcing other avenues of information, such as celebrities, and socially aligning with others who think the same (Smith et al, 2004 ; Wada and Smith, 2015 ; Chung et al, 2017 ; Tustin et al, 2018 ; Martinez-Berman et al, 2021 ; Motta et al, 2021 ; Murphy et al, 2021 ). In addition, a high moral value for liberty suggests that mandates surrounding vaccines may only further exacerbate their beliefs, increase the gap between science and the community, and increase the utility of motivational interviewing as an effective tool (Kriss et al, 2022 ). Morals related to harm are associated with heightened attention to the detriment that may be caused through vaccines, consistent with the literature that highlights cognitions related to the risk of side effects and adverse reactions (Amin et al, 2017 ; Carrion, 2018 ; Carpiano et al, 2019 ; Helps et al, 2019 ; Rossen et al, 2019 ; Elkalmi et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological mechanisms and interventions directed at vaccination attitudes

Ann

Baumann²

2023

Front. Sociol.

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Attitudes about vaccination impact not only the individual but also society. Therefore, understanding the underlying psychological processes of those who disagree with vaccination is critical for creating compassion through understanding and change through promoting autonomy. The current review aimed to fill a gap in the literature, outlining the state of the recent research on vaccination attitudes, specifically on the underlying mechanisms driving anti-vaccination movements and individuals' thoughts and behaviors. In addition, we aimed to evaluate current research on the effectiveness of interventions targeting these mechanisms. Overall, results indicated that those declining vaccines had beliefs related to distrust in the scientific community and pharmaceutical companies and moral preferences for purity and liberty. In addition, our review identified the potential for utilizing motivational interviewing techniques as an intervention. This literature review provides a platform for further research and enhances the current understanding of vaccination attitudes.

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“…Regarding the independent variables, it was identified that in two studies, a higher level of conservatism predisposed individuals to experience stronger state reactance (Kriss et al, 2022;Knapp et al, 2021). Additionally, decreased pandemic-related financial stress and increased psychological sense of community were associated with increased reactance (Knapp et al, 2021).…”

Section: Continuation Of Tablementioning

confidence: 98%

“…However, based on available information, it can be stated that state reactance was measured at least 23 times by examining perceived anger towards freedom restriction, 17 times by assessing negative beliefs about the source of freedom restriction, and 12 times by measuring the sense of freedom threat. The latter component of reactance, perceived threat to freedom, may pose interpretational challenges as in some studies this variable was used as an indicator of state reactance (e.g., Sprengholz, Betsch, & Böhm, 2021;Sprengholz et al, 2022), while in others, it was treated as a distinct factor being a direct determinant of reactance (e.g., Kang et al, 2021;Kriss et al, 2022). Most frequently, dependent variables were operationalized as vaccination-related attitudes (vaccination intention, attitudes towards vaccination; 23 studies) and adherence to various protective behaviors, primarily mask-wearing (13 studies).…”

Section: Continuation Of Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Reactance against Anti-COVID Regulations – a Systematic Review

Drążkowski

2023

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Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals perceived a threat to their freedom due to government-imposed restrictions on specific behaviors, motivating them to take actions against these limitations. The Reactance Theory (Brehm, 1981) proved valuable in explaining the motivation of these individuals to resist anti-COVID regulations. Numerous studies have been published, demonstrating that experiencing reactance against anti-COVID policy leads to actions contradictory to these measures. This article aims to describe a systematic review of studies examining the relationship between regulations aimed at limiting the pandemic and reactance to these actions. Method: The review included works from the EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, measuring reactance as a state or trait, along with variables directly related to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The literature review identified 59 studies on the relationship between anti-COVID regulations and reactance to these actions. An analysis of the characteristics of the studied populations, research methodology, and obtained results was conducted. The study outlined persuasive measures encouraging actions in line with government recommendations that intensify or reduce reactance, as well as those that do not influence it. Furthermore, it described various relationships between reactance (trait and state against regulations) and the willingness to comply with anti-COVID regulations. Conclusion: The presented literature review identified determinants of experiencing a state of reactance against anti-COVID regulations and described relationships between reactance and the effectiveness of these regulations. The results of the review may aid in designing future regulations aimed at combating epidemics.

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Psychological Reactance Theory and COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates: The Roles of Threat Magnitude and Direction of Threat

Cited by 8 publications

References 34 publications

Psychological reactance, misinformation, and distrust: A mixed methods analysis of COVID-19 vaccine uptake

Psychological reactance, misinformation, and distrust: A mixed methods analysis of COVID-19 vaccine uptake

Psychological mechanisms and interventions directed at vaccination attitudes

Reactance against Anti-COVID Regulations – a Systematic Review

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