The Mediating Role of Germ Aversion in the Relationship between Fear of COVID-19 and Intention to Vaccinate

Abstract

Objective: In the study, it was aimed to determine the fear level of COVID-19 and to demonstrate the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to vaccinate. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of young, middle, and elderly patients and their relatives who applied to a family medicine unit operating in the city center of Düzce. Data were collected from 530 people using the face-to-face survey technique. The researchers used IBM SPSS Statistic Base 23 V and AMOS package programs for statistical analysis. Results: The empirical result of the study revealed that as the fear level of COVID-19 increased, the intention to get vaccinated for COVID-19 increased positively. In addition, it has been determined that germ aversion behavior has a significant indirect effect and fully mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to get vaccinated. Conclusions: This research revealed that increasing COVID-19 fear level positively increases the intention to be vaccinated through high germ aversion behavior.