COVID Stress Factors, Willingness to be Vaccinated, and Reasons for Vaccination Hesitancy Amongst Youth and Ethnic Minorities: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Abstract

COVID-19 has caused psychological trauma. However, it is unclear whether these stresses are comparable across ethnicities, across age groups, and vaccination hesitancy. Moreover, the relationship between the different types of stresses and their relationship to vaccination hesitancy has not been studied. Using rigorous statistical methodology (structural equation modeling), we examined the measurement invariance of five COVID stress factors: danger of contamination, socioeconomic consequences, xenophobia, traumatic stress, compulsive checking, by ethnicity and age, and investigated their relationship to vaccination hesitancy, ethnicity, age, and expectations of contracting COVID using structural equation models on a UK sample. The instrument showed measurement invariance both with respect to ethnicity and vaccination hesitancy. Subjects with more stress and worry about contracting COVID had no more enthusiasm for getting vaccinated than the less stressed. Ethnic minorities were less stressed despite suffering higher morbidity and mortality. As age increases, so does the hesitancy to be vaccinated despite younger subjects reporting more compulsive checking. Vaccination hesitancy was related to fear of side effects and safety concerns. Public health campaigns should target younger populations to address their fears about and stress due to compulsive checking for COVID-19. These campaigns should also be designed to reduce vaccination hesitancy to increase vaccination rates, decrease active and passive carriers of the virus, and ultimately attain herd immunity.