Introduction to the special issue on vaccine hesitancy and refusal

Health Psychol. 2023 Aug;42(8):511-515. doi: 10.1037/hea0001302.

Abstract

This is an introduction to the special issue "Vaccine Hesitancy and Refusal." This special issue of Health Psychology examines various aspects of vaccine hesitancy using a health psychology lens. The timing of this issue, following a call for papers issued in the summer of 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, is reflected in the focus on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the papers included here. This is important, as the field of vaccine hesitancy research has expanded greatly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 2, 2023, a search of PubMed for "vaccine hesitancy" yielded 5,635 papers, dating back to 1968. A similar search for "COVID vaccine hesitancy" yielded 3,851 papers, starting in 2020. This highlights the need for new and novel theory-based interventions that can be broadly applicable to hesitancy to other routine vaccinations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Behavioral Medicine*
  • Biomedical Research*
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • Vaccination

Substances

  • COVID-19 Vaccines