The Role of Perceived Risk in the Relationship Between Disgust Sensitivity and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy.

Background: Despite widespread availability of COVID vaccines and evidence of their efficacy, vaccine hesitancy remains prevalent. Several studies have examined the relationship between disgust sensitivity and vaccine hesitancy. Although results from studies using data collected prior to the COVID pandemic indicate that higher disgust sensitivity is related to greater vaccine hesitancy, results from studies using data collected during the COVID pandemic are equivocal. The present study examined whether perceived risk of contracting COVID moderated the relationship between disgust sensitivity and vaccine hesitancy. Methods: Participants (n = 152) completed self-report measures of disgust sensitivity, perceived risk of contracting COVID, and COVID vaccine hesitancy (defined as both vaccine confidence and vaccine complacency). Results: Perceived risk of contracting COVID significantly moderated the relationship between disgust sensitivity and vaccine complacency, with the association strengthened at low levels of perceived risk. Perceived risk of contracting COVID also marginally moderated the relationship between disgust sensitivity and vaccine confidence, with the association strengthened at low and average levels of perceived risk. Conclusions: Results suggest that individuals with elevated disgust sensitivity who also report low levels of perceived risk of contracting COVID are more likely to express vaccine hesitancy. Implications of these findings are discussed. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10608-023-10391-8.

The Moderating Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty in the Relationship Between Health Anxiety and Pandemic-Related Stress.

Background and Objectives: Global pandemics, including COVID-19, have a significant effect on mental health, and this may be especially true for individuals with health anxiety. Although health anxiety is related to both pandemic-related fears and perceptions of health risks, there is a paucity of research on individual difference variables that might exert an influence on these relationships. The present study examined intolerance of uncertainty (IU) as a potential moderator of the relationship between health anxiety and COVID-related stress, and the relationship between health anxiety and perceived risk of contracting COVID. Design and Methods: A nationally representative sample of North American adults (N = 204) completed self-report measures of health anxiety, IU, COVID-related stress, and perceived risk of contracting COVID. Results: Prospective IU moderated the positive relationship between health anxiety and COVID-related stress, as the relationship was strengthened at average and higher levels of prospective IU. Neither IU subscale moderated the relationship between health anxiety and perceived risk. Conclusion: These results suggest that individuals with elevated health anxiety and high prospective IU may be at higher risk of experiencing COVID-related stress, illuminating the interplay of risk factors that place anxious populations at an increased risk of experiencing stress during acute health risks. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10608-023-10365-w.

Keeps me awake at night: The potential of the COVID-19 pandemic to affect sleep quality among sexual minority men in the U.S.A.

Sleep health, a crucial component and predictor of physical and mental health, has likely been adversely impacted by the stress and disruption wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief report sought to assess self-reported sleep quality among sexual minority men across the U.S.A. in the early months of the pandemic. In a cross-sectional online survey of a racially-diverse sample of 477 sexual minority men (mean age of 41.2; range 18-75 years) recruited from popular geo-social networking apps in early May 2020, participants reported on their recent experiences regarding sleep and mental health (anxiety, depression, and pessimistic repetitive future thinking). Almost 75% endorsed some level of restless sleep in the past week, 203 (42.6%) reported worse-than-usual sleep quality since the pandemic, and 77 (16.1%) reported sleeping longer than usual but not feeling better rested. Further, of the 280 reporting worse-than-usual sleep or feeling not rested, almost 85% reported that worry about the pandemic had been contributing to their troubles with falling or staying asleep. Rates of worsened sleep were highest among those whose financial situation had been adversely affected and those not in full-time employment, whereas restless sleep was highest among those in the Northeast region of the U.S.A., which, during the study's timeframe of late April and early May 2020, was the most severely affected by the pandemic. Greater emotional distress was associated with each sleep variable. Addressing and improving sleep health is critical to overall health and requires particular attention during the COVID-19 pandemic.