The attitudes of psychiatric patients towards COVID-19 vaccination in China: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health catastrophe. By far, there has been no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19. Developing a vaccine against COVID-19 appeared to be the most cost-effective strategy to stop the repeated outbreak. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of psychiatric patients with regards to COVID-19 vaccination and potential factors that might influence their decision-making process. Methods Psychiatric patients participated in this cross-sectional survey in China. Family caregivers, usually a guardian or next of kin completed the questionnaire when the patient is unable to consent. Data was collected via an online self-administered questionnaire. This questionnaire focused on four main attributes: (1) sociology-demographic characteristics, such as age and sex; (2) questions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as perceived risk of COVID-19; (3) Flu vaccination history; and (4) attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination and affected factors, such as preferred vaccine type and vaccination site. The associated factors that influenced vaccination acceptance were analyzed by Chi-square analysis and binary logistic regression. Results In total, 416 individuals were recruited, from which 408: 229 patients and 179 family caregivers completed the online survey (response rate: 98.1%). 78.7% of the participants (178 patients and 143 family caregivers) said they intended to receive vaccination once the COVID-19 vaccine became available on the market. Our results showed that participants would have a greater likelihood of joining the COVID-9 immunization programme if the people they knew (community residents or their friends and relatives) presented with high vaccine coverage (OR = 0.24; 95% CI:0.09–0.59). If the pandemic returns, participants were also more likely to accept vaccination (OR = 0.21; 95% CI:0.07–0.62). Moreover, those who believed that the vaccination was an important way to control the COVID-19 pandemic also showed a tendency to receive vaccination (OR = 0.21; 95% CI:0.11–0.40). For those who did not intend to get vaccinated either for themselves or their psychiatric family member, the safety of vaccine was their main concern (71.3%). Conclusions This study showed a high acceptance rate for COVID-19 vaccination amongst psychiatric patients, while worries about the safety of vaccine led to refusal towards vaccination. To increase vaccination uptake amongst this vulnerable group, the public health messaging should include updated vaccination coverage in local communities, and the number of newly COVID-19 infected cases. Specific information about vaccine safety concerning psychiatric patients; as well as the importance of vaccination in controlling the pandemic should be explained in detail.

Social media medical misinformation: impact on mental health and vaccination decision among university students

“…Better mental health in Facebook users was associated with worse attitude and behaviour, while worse mental health in Twitter users was associated with better attitude and behaviour. This was common in several studies showing that psychiatric disorders were positively affecting the decision of vaccination [39,40]. This finding was unexpected in all studies.…”

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance of Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) in Czechia: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

“…Contrarily, a recent Chinese cross-sectional study revealed that 83.3% of the Chinese psychiatric patients preferred Chinese vaccines which are of inactivated virus, protein subunit, and viral vector-based types. In comparison, only 16.7% preferred the imported vaccines, including mRNA-based vaccines, thus reflecting the crisis of vaccine nationalism [58].…”

COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in a Cohort Study of Patients With Mental Illness in Residential and Community Care

“…One study found a slightly lower willingness to be vaccinated when compared to the general population, although the difference was rather small ( 17 ). In a Chinese survey only 78.7% of patients and family members intended to receive a vaccine ( 33 ). Another small study in a medium security psychiatric hospital showed that 20% of patients declined consent to be vaccinated ( 34 ).…”

“…Large parts of the world are unfortunately still waiting for the chance at a first vaccine shot. To ensure maximal vaccine uptake healthcare providers and policy makers should provide enough information on vaccine safety, individual risk assessment and explicitly recommend vaccination as support from healthcare providers increases chance of vaccination ( 33 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 39 ).…”