Abstract
Background: Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy hinders the establishment of immune barrier in children. Psychological flexibility may be a key contributing factor to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and self-efficacy and coping style play an important role in the relationship, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on parents from June 2021 to July 2021. A total of 382 parents were recruited for an online-investigation. Serial mediation models were used to examine whether self-efficacy and coping style mediated in the psychological flexibility-pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy linkage.Result: Psychological flexibility was negatively related to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (r = −0.198, P < 0.001). Coping styles rather than self-efficacy played a mediating role independently (95% CI: −0.263 to −0.058). Serial mediation analyses indicated that self-efficacy and coping style co-play a serial mediating role in the association of psychological flexibility and pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (95% CI: −0.037 to −0.001).Conclusion: The present study showed that high psychological flexibility, high self-efficacy, and positive coping style were conducive to the lower pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
Highlights
As of September 2021, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 200 million confirmed cases and more than 4.5 million deaths worldwide (World Helath Organization [World Health Organization (WHO)], 2021a)
The results showed that the total effect of psychological flexibility on pediatric vaccine hesitancy was significant (c = −0.457, P < 0.001) (Figure 1A)
This study explored the role of self-efficacy and coping style in the relationship between psychological flexibility and pediatric vaccine hesitancy
Summary
As of September 2021, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 200 million confirmed cases and more than 4.5 million deaths worldwide (World Helath Organization [WHO], 2021a). An increasing number of studies consider psychological status as one of the determinants of vaccine hesitancy, influencing vaccination willingness and behavior (Xu et al, 2021). As one of the indicators reflecting psychological status, psychological flexibility refers to the process of contacting the present moment fully as a conscious human being and persisting or changing behavior in the service of chosen values (Hayes et al, 2006). It was first proposed by American psychology professor Hayes, and became the core of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Psychological flexibility may be a key contributing factor to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and self-efficacy and coping style play an important role in the relationship, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown
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