Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy among Pregnant Women in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study
Introduction: Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to anxiety and stress, and the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely contributed to anxiety in this group. Researchers continue their work on COVID-19 vaccine formulations to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and minimise the impact of the...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/10/1700 |
| _version_ | 1797469727772114944 |
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| author | Kinga Janik Kinga Nietupska Grazyna Iwanowicz-Palus Mateusz Cybulski |
| author_facet | Kinga Janik Kinga Nietupska Grazyna Iwanowicz-Palus Mateusz Cybulski |
| author_sort | Kinga Janik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to anxiety and stress, and the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely contributed to anxiety in this group. Researchers continue their work on COVID-19 vaccine formulations to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and minimise the impact of the pandemic. Despite the increased prevalence and severity of anxiety among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic, their attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine vary. The aim of this study was to assess the levels of anxiety experienced by pregnant women due to COVID-19 and their attitudes to vaccination. Materials and methods: A total of 595 women voluntarily participated in the study. The respondents were divided into two groups: the study group (<i>n</i> = 288), which consisted of women who were pregnant at the time of the survey, and the control group (<i>n</i> = 307), which included women of reproductive age (18–49 years). The study used a diagnostic survey method with a web-based questionnaire consisting of the author’s survey questionnaire and the following standardised tools: the Scale to Measure the Perception of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines Acceptance (VAC-COVID-19 SCALE), the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), the Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (DrVac-COVID19S) and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). Results: The level of COVID-related anxiety differed depending on the tool used. Mild anxiety was reported for CAS, while FCV-19S showed its moderate levels. Both pregnant women and women of reproductive age showed high scores in VAC-COVID-19 and DrVac-COVID19S. The mean VAC-COVID-19 scores were 41.44 in the study group and 44.26 in the control group, and the mean DrVac-COVID19S scores were 51.25 in pregnant women and 55.85 in women of reproductive age. This indicates a high level of acceptance of and positive attitudes toward vaccinations. Conclusions: Pregnant women showed moderate coronavirus anxiety. Women in both the study group and the control group showed mostly positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:24:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca79187efc144ca88b26a9735975f21c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:24:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca79187efc144ca88b26a9735975f21c2023-11-24T03:04:31ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2022-10-011010170010.3390/vaccines10101700Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy among Pregnant Women in Poland: A Cross-Sectional StudyKinga Janik0Kinga Nietupska1Grazyna Iwanowicz-Palus2Mateusz Cybulski3Department of Integrated Medical Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Bialystok, M. Skłodowskiej-Curie 7A Str., 15-096 Bialystok, PolandDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Independent Public Healthcare Center in Sokolka, Sikorskiego 40 Str., 16-100 Sokolka, PolandDepartment of Development in Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Staszica 4/6 Str., 20-081 Lublin, PolandDepartment of Integrated Medical Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Bialystok, M. Skłodowskiej-Curie 7A Str., 15-096 Bialystok, PolandIntroduction: Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to anxiety and stress, and the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely contributed to anxiety in this group. Researchers continue their work on COVID-19 vaccine formulations to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and minimise the impact of the pandemic. Despite the increased prevalence and severity of anxiety among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic, their attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine vary. The aim of this study was to assess the levels of anxiety experienced by pregnant women due to COVID-19 and their attitudes to vaccination. Materials and methods: A total of 595 women voluntarily participated in the study. The respondents were divided into two groups: the study group (<i>n</i> = 288), which consisted of women who were pregnant at the time of the survey, and the control group (<i>n</i> = 307), which included women of reproductive age (18–49 years). The study used a diagnostic survey method with a web-based questionnaire consisting of the author’s survey questionnaire and the following standardised tools: the Scale to Measure the Perception of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines Acceptance (VAC-COVID-19 SCALE), the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), the Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (DrVac-COVID19S) and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). Results: The level of COVID-related anxiety differed depending on the tool used. Mild anxiety was reported for CAS, while FCV-19S showed its moderate levels. Both pregnant women and women of reproductive age showed high scores in VAC-COVID-19 and DrVac-COVID19S. The mean VAC-COVID-19 scores were 41.44 in the study group and 44.26 in the control group, and the mean DrVac-COVID19S scores were 51.25 in pregnant women and 55.85 in women of reproductive age. This indicates a high level of acceptance of and positive attitudes toward vaccinations. Conclusions: Pregnant women showed moderate coronavirus anxiety. Women in both the study group and the control group showed mostly positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/10/1700anxietyattitudesCOVID-19fearpregnantSARS-CoV-2 |
| spellingShingle | Kinga Janik Kinga Nietupska Grazyna Iwanowicz-Palus Mateusz Cybulski Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy among Pregnant Women in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study Vaccines anxiety attitudes COVID-19 fear pregnant SARS-CoV-2 |
| title | Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy among Pregnant Women in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full | Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy among Pregnant Women in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_fullStr | Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy among Pregnant Women in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy among Pregnant Women in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_short | Fear of COVID-19 and Vaccine Hesitancy among Pregnant Women in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_sort | fear of covid 19 and vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women in poland a cross sectional study |
| topic | anxiety attitudes COVID-19 fear pregnant SARS-CoV-2 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/10/1700 |
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