Abstract
Vaccinations may be one of the solutions to end the COVID-19 pandemic. One’s psychological state may be strongly related to one’s willingness to be vaccinated. This study investigated the relationship between the psychological state of Japanese university students and their willingness to be vaccinated. A self-report questionnaire on COVID-19, its vaccines (vaccination status, and perceived efficacy and safety), and psychological state (anxiety and depressive mood) was administered online, and 560 valid responses were obtained. The unvaccinated group reported significantly lower perceived vaccine effectiveness and importance than the vaccinated group. However, there were no differences in anxiety and depressive mood symptoms between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed on the unvaccinated participants to identify the factors associated with their unwillingness to be vaccinated; there was a significant association between anxiety and unwillingness to receive the vaccine (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant association between depressive mood and unwillingness to receive the vaccine. The results suggest that timely psychological support for Japanese university students experiencing high levels of anxiety is important in accelerating vaccination programs.
Highlights
COVID-19 is a severe respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus
This study was conducted to determine the association between the psychological state of Japanese university students and their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
These results partially supported our hypothesis. This is the first study to reveal the psychological state of people who are unwilling to receive the vaccine even when the vaccine is widely available in Japan
Summary
COVID-19 is a severe respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 [1]. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted people’s mental health, leading to conditions such as anxiety and depression [2,3]. A vaccine for COVID-19 could be a promising solution to end the pandemic but could help restore people’s mental health and daily lives. Existing literature indicates that Japanese people have low perceived safety and efficacy of the vaccine as compared to other countries [4]. Japanese people have shown a greater lack of trust in vaccines as compared to other countries [5]. There is a deep-rooted skepticism about the efficacy of vaccines as a countermeasure against infectious diseases in Japan [6,7]. Given that the conditions for vaccination may differ across countries, it is necessary to examine the causes of vaccine hesitancy; that is, a delay in or refusal of being vaccinated, despite the availability of vaccination services [7]
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