Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian Population
Although several quantitative studies have explored vaccine hesitancy, qualitative research on the factors underlying attitudes toward vaccination is still lacking. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the general perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines among the Italian population with a qual...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/3/642 |
| _version_ | 1797608685584777216 |
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| author | Paola Boragno Elena Fiabane Irene Taino Marina Maffoni Valentina Sommovigo Ilaria Setti Paola Gabanelli |
| author_facet | Paola Boragno Elena Fiabane Irene Taino Marina Maffoni Valentina Sommovigo Ilaria Setti Paola Gabanelli |
| author_sort | Paola Boragno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although several quantitative studies have explored vaccine hesitancy, qualitative research on the factors underlying attitudes toward vaccination is still lacking. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the general perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines among the Italian population with a qualitative approach. The sample included 700 Italian participants who completed an online survey. Open questions underwent a descriptive analysis for unveiling meaning categories, while differences in the prevalence of categories were calculated using chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. Vaccination was associated with the following seven main themes: ‘safety’, ‘healthcare’, ‘vaccine delivery’, ‘progress’, ‘ambivalence’, ‘mistrust’, and ‘ethics’. Vaccinated individuals more frequently reported words related to the safety theme (χ<sup>2</sup> = 46.7, <i>p</i> < 0.001), while unvaccinated individuals more frequently reported words related to mistrust (χ<sup>2</sup> = 123, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and ambivalence (χ<sup>2</sup> = 48.3, <i>p</i> < 0.001) themes. Working in the healthcare sector and being younger than 40 years affected the general perceptions of vaccination in terms of pro-vaccine attitudes. Unvaccinated individuals were more affected by the negative experiences of their acquaintances and manifested more distrust of scientific researchers, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies than vaccinated individuals. These findings suggest promoting collaborative efforts of governments, health policymakers, and media sources, including social media companies, in order to deal with cognitions and emotions supporting vaccine hesitancy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:48:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5650ede1b76f464c8613282bb71c1766 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:48:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-5650ede1b76f464c8613282bb71c17662023-11-17T14:18:57ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2023-03-0111364210.3390/vaccines11030642Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian PopulationPaola Boragno0Elena Fiabane1Irene Taino2Marina Maffoni3Valentina Sommovigo4Ilaria Setti5Paola Gabanelli6Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Psychology Unit of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, ItalyIstituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Psychology Unit of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, ItalyIstituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Psychology Unit of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, ItalyIstituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Psychology Unit of Montescano Institute, 27040 Montescano, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, ItalyUnit of Applied Psychology, Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, ItalyIstituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Psychology Unit of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, ItalyAlthough several quantitative studies have explored vaccine hesitancy, qualitative research on the factors underlying attitudes toward vaccination is still lacking. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the general perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines among the Italian population with a qualitative approach. The sample included 700 Italian participants who completed an online survey. Open questions underwent a descriptive analysis for unveiling meaning categories, while differences in the prevalence of categories were calculated using chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. Vaccination was associated with the following seven main themes: ‘safety’, ‘healthcare’, ‘vaccine delivery’, ‘progress’, ‘ambivalence’, ‘mistrust’, and ‘ethics’. Vaccinated individuals more frequently reported words related to the safety theme (χ<sup>2</sup> = 46.7, <i>p</i> < 0.001), while unvaccinated individuals more frequently reported words related to mistrust (χ<sup>2</sup> = 123, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and ambivalence (χ<sup>2</sup> = 48.3, <i>p</i> < 0.001) themes. Working in the healthcare sector and being younger than 40 years affected the general perceptions of vaccination in terms of pro-vaccine attitudes. Unvaccinated individuals were more affected by the negative experiences of their acquaintances and manifested more distrust of scientific researchers, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies than vaccinated individuals. These findings suggest promoting collaborative efforts of governments, health policymakers, and media sources, including social media companies, in order to deal with cognitions and emotions supporting vaccine hesitancy.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/3/642vaccine hesitancyCOVID-19vaccinesambivalencesafetyinfodemic |
| spellingShingle | Paola Boragno Elena Fiabane Irene Taino Marina Maffoni Valentina Sommovigo Ilaria Setti Paola Gabanelli Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian Population Vaccines vaccine hesitancy COVID-19 vaccines ambivalence safety infodemic |
| title | Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian Population |
| title_full | Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian Population |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian Population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian Population |
| title_short | Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian Population |
| title_sort | perceptions of covid 19 vaccines protective shields or threatening risks a descriptive exploratory study among the italian population |
| topic | vaccine hesitancy COVID-19 vaccines ambivalence safety infodemic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/3/642 |
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