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Hwang JW, Chien SJ, Wang CC, Kuo KC, Tang KS, Lee Y, Chen YC, Lo MH, Lee IK, Chuah SK, Lee CT, Kung CT, Wang LJ. Perception and Mental Health Status Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination Among Taiwanese Adolescents and Their Caregivers. Adolesc Health Med Ther 2023; 14:195-204. [PMID: 37822558 PMCID: PMC10562508 DOI: 10.2147/ahmt.s429238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Vaccinating adolescents is a vital strategy to enhance population protection without imposing overly restrictive measures on our daily lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. As teenagers gain more independence, their willingness to get vaccinated may depend on their own understanding of the pandemic, vaccines, and mental well-being, as well as that of their caregivers. Our study aimed to examine how Taiwanese adolescents and their caregivers perceive COVID-19 vaccination and assess their mental health status. Methods We invited a total of 138 vaccinated adolescents and their caregivers to complete several questionnaires, including the Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (DrVac-COVID19S), Impact of Event Scale (IES), and Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ). Results Among the adolescents, 76.8% considered the BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) as the ideal option for COVID-19 vaccination, while 27.5% of caregivers expressed acceptance of any available vaccine. Adolescents scored higher than caregivers in terms of vaccine value (p<0.001) and autonomy (p<0.001), but lower in knowledge (p<0.001), as assessed by the DrVac-COVID19S subscales. The adolescents' intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 (DrVac-COVID19S total score) showed a positive correlation with their perception of the pandemic's impact (IES scores, r=0.214, p=0.012) and their caregivers' vaccination intention (r=0.371, p<0.001). Furthermore, adolescents' mental health demonstrated a positive association with the mental health of their caregiver (CHQ total scores, r=0.481, p<0.001). Conclusion During the COVID-19 outbreak, caregivers have encountered heightened levels of mental stress, and this stress has been found to be positively correlated with the mental stress experienced by adolescents and their intentions regarding vaccination. These findings can serve as crucial references for healthcare providers and governments when formulating vaccination policies for adolescents in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jade Winjei Hwang
- Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Shao Ju Chien
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chi Wang
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Kuang-Che Kuo
- Division of Pediatric Infection, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Shu Tang
- Division of Pediatric Emergency, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Yu Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chun Chen
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Mao-Hung Lo
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Ing-Kit Lee
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Seng-Kee Chuah
- Division of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Te Lee
- Department of Nephrology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Te Kung
- Department of Emergency, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
| | - Liang-Jen Wang
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan
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