COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Patients with Mental Illness: A Case-Control Study After the Pandemic
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of anxiety, optimism, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine acceptance among patients with mental illnesses in Southern Thailand in the period after the pandemic.
Material and Methods: A total of 160 outpatients, 80 with mental disorders and 80 age- and gender-matched individuals without mental disorders, participated in this study between August and November 2023. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires on perception and personal experience of COVID-19 vaccination, including the Thai version of the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale.
Results: The psychiatric group had significantly higher rates of unemployment (p-value=0.02), residence in the armed-conflict areas of Southern Thailand (p-value=0.03), and self-payment for treatment (p-value=0.003) compared with the non-psychiatric group. A smaller proportion of patients in the psychiatric group had received full vaccination, including at least one booster dose (52.5%), compared with the control group (75.0%; p-value=0.005). Levels of optimism and anxiety toward COVID-19 infection were mostly moderate and not significantly different between the groups. Statistically, individuals with mental illnesses perceived the severity of COVID-19 2.4 times lower than those without (p LR test=0.016). Most participants in both groups were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if advised by their psychiatrists (68.8%), family doctors (73.8%), pharmacists (63.7% and 70.0%), or village health volunteers (VHVs) (56.2%).
Conclusion: Psychiatric patients were more likely to be unemployed, live in armed-conflict areas, pay for their own medical care, and have lower vaccination rates. At the same time, optimism and anxiety levels were similar compared to those of non-psychiatric groups regarding COVID-19.
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