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. 2022 Jun 10;12(6):186.
doi: 10.3390/bs12060186.

Medical Mistrust, COVID-19 Stress, and Intent to Vaccinate in Racial-Ethnic Minorities

Charlene Minaya  1 , Dean McKay  1 , Hannah Benton  1 , Judite Blanc  2 , Azizi A Seixas  2
Affiliations

Medical Mistrust, COVID-19 Stress, and Intent to Vaccinate in Racial-Ethnic Minorities

Charlene Minaya et al. Behav Sci (Basel). .

Abstract

Members of the Black, Asian, and Latinx community have been particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic but may be hesitant to vaccinate. In a December 2020 study in Black, Asian, and Latinx adults in the U.S. (n = 779), only 50% of Black respondents endorsed intending to vaccinate against COVID-19, followed by 65% and 75% of Latinx and Asian participants, respectively. Medical mistrust, fears about COVID-19 contamination, and a proclivity for compulsive checking behaviors related to COVID-19 were significant predictors of intent to vaccinate in Black respondents. Similarly, Asian respondents' intent to vaccinate was predicted by medical mistrust, fears of the dangerous nature of the virus, and xenophobic concerns about viral spread. In Latinx participants, medical mistrust and compulsive checking for COVID-19-related information were significant predictors of intent to vaccinate. Our findings identify specific behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs we can target to inform community-wide outreach and increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

Keywords: COVID-19; medical mistrust; racial/ethnic minorities; vaccine hesitancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
This figure depicts Black, Asian, and Latinx participants’ medical mistrust scores on the Medical Mistrust Index and the group-based medical mistrust scale. Each asterisk represents an outlier identified in the data. * extreme outliers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
This figure depicts Black, Asian, and Latinx participants’ COVID-19 stress scores on the COVID-19 Stress Scales.
Figure 3
Figure 3
This figure depicts Black, Asian, and Latinx participants’ reported intent to vaccinate against COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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