Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39810174›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Association between COVID-19 anxiety syndrome and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the postpandemic era: a cross-sectional study in Hong Kong.

Timothy Chung Ming Wu, Jonathan Ka Ming Ho, Sai Kit Choi, Yanki Hiu Yan Chan, Bella Wing Sze Chan, Timmy Tim Ming Li, Fu Po Tam, Ivan Man Chun Wong, Alex Siu Wing Chan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Timothy Chung Ming Wu *School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China. tcmwu@hkmu.edu.hk.
Jonathan Ka Ming Ho *School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China.
Sai Kit ChoiInstitutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Yanki Hiu Yan ChanDepartment of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong, China.
Bella Wing Sze ChanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong, China.
Timmy Tim Ming LiDepartment of Medicine, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong, China.
Fu Po TamDepartment of Operating Theatre, Union Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
Ivan Man Chun WongDepartment of Medicine and Geriatrics, Pok Oi Hospital, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong, China.
Alex Siu Wing ChanDepartment of Social Work, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had profound psychophysiological and socioeconomic effects worldwide. COVID-19 anxiety syndrome (CAS) is a specific cluster of maladaptive coping strategies, including perseveration and avoidance behaviours, in response to the perceived threat and fear of COVID-19. CAS is distinct from general COVID-19 anxiety. The level of CAS in the postpandemic era remained unknown. Despite extensive research on general COVID-19 anxiety and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (CVH), few studies have investigated the association between CAS and CVH. The present study aimed to assess the level of CAS and the prevalence of CVH and explore the association between CAS and CVH in the general population of Hong Kong.

methodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in Hong Kong. Participants were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling methods and completed an online or a paper-based questionnaire comprising two well-validated instruments. The COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C-19ASS), which includes the C-19ASS-P and C-19ASS-A subscales, was used to evaluate CAS in terms of perseveration and avoidance behaviours. The COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (CVHS) was used to determine the presence of CVH.

resultsThis study included 389 participants. The median C-19ASS-P and C-19ASS-A scores were 8 (Interquartile range (IQR) 5-13) and 3 (IQR 0-6), respectively. The CVHS scores revealed a CVH prevalence of 68.1%. A significantly larger proportion of participants with CVH rated "hesitant" compared with those without CVH across all the CVHS items. Furthermore, the median C-19ASS-P and C-19ASS-A scores were significantly higher for participants without CVH than for those with CVH.

conclusionsOur findings revealed that CAS persists and CVH is common in the postpandemic era and that CAS is associated with CVH. Comprehensive interventions addressing both informational and psychological aspects are needed to increase the rate of vaccine acceptance and to mitigate the effect of CAS on public health outcomes.

Indexed as

AnxietyCOVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesVaccination HesitancyAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHong KongHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultCOVID-19 VaccinesAvoidance behaviourCOVID-19 anxiety syndromeCOVID-19 vaccine hesitancyFearMaladaptive copingThreat

Identifiers

PMID39810174
PMCPMC11734546

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.