COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among young adults in Canada.

OBJECTIVES: Vaccine hesitancy is a multifaceted decision process that encompasses various factors for which an individual may choose to get vaccinated or not. We aimed to identify the relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy theories, general attitudes towards vaccines, current COVID-19 vaccine factors, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. METHODS: The present research is a multi-province cross-sectional study design. Survey data were collected in May and June 2021 (n=4905) in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. Multivariate ordinal regression models were used to assess the association between vaccine hesitant profiles and COVID-19 conspiracy theories, general attitudes towards vaccines, and specific factors pertaining to COVID-19 vaccines. RESULTS: Participants were aged 18 to 40 years and 59% were women. Individuals with low income, with low educational attainment, and/or who are unemployed were more likely to be vaccine hesitant. COVID-19 conspiracy theory beliefs and general attitudes towards vaccines are significantly associated with greater hesitancy for the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine factors including pro-vaccine actions and opinions of friends and family and trust in scientists and government as well as the country in which a vaccine is manufactured are associated with less vaccine hesitancy. CONCLUSION: Conspiracy theories are distinct from criticism and concerns regarding the vaccine. Nevertheless, poverty, low level of education, and distrust towards the government are associated with higher odds of being vaccine hesitant. Results suggest it is imperative to deliver transparent and nuanced health communications to address legitimate distrust towards political and scientific actors and address the societal gap regarding general attitudes towards vaccines as opposed to focusing solely on COVID-19.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: L'hésitation vaccinale est un processus de décision multidimensionnel qui englobe divers facteurs qui contribuent au choix individuel de se faire vacciner ou non. Cet article étudie la relation entre les théories du complot autour de la COVID-19, les attitudes générales envers les vaccins, les facteurs spécifiques aux vaccins contre la COVID-19 et l'hésitation vaccinale dans le contexte de la COVID-19. MéTHODES: La présente recherche est une étude transversale multi-provinces. Les données de l'enquête ont été recueillies en mai et en juin 2021 (n=4905) en Alberta, en Ontario et au Québec. Des modèles de régression ordinale multivariés ont été utilisés pour évaluer l'association entre l'hésitation à se faire vacciner et les théories du complot autour de la COVID-19, les attitudes générales envers les vaccins et des facteurs spécifiques relatifs aux vaccins contre la COVID-19. RéSULTATS: Les répondants sont âgés de 18 à 40 ans et 59 % s'identifient comme étant des femmes. Les personnes ayant un faible revenu, ayant un faible niveau d'éducation et/ou sans emploi étaient plus susceptibles d'hésiter à se faire vacciner. L'adhésion à la théorie du complot du COVID-19 et les attitudes générales envers les vaccins sont significativement associées à plus d'hésitation à se faire vacciner contre la COVID-19. Les facteurs liés aux vaccins, y compris les actions pro-vaccins et les opinions des amis et de la famille, et la confiance envers les scientifiques et le gouvernement ainsi que le pays de fabrication du vaccin sont associés à moins d'hésitation vaccinale. CONCLUSION: Les théories du complot sont distinctes des préoccupations concernant le vaccin. La pauvreté, le faible niveau d'éducation et la méfiance envers le gouvernement sont associés à des niveaux plus élevés d'hésitation vaccinale. Les résultats suggèrent que les communications en santé devraient être transparentes et nuancées sur la santé de façon à diminuer la méfiance envers les acteurs politiques et scientifiques et à combler le fossé sociétal concernant les attitudes générales envers les vaccins plutôt que de se cibler uniquement la COVID-19.

The CoVivre Program: Community Development and Empowerment to Address the Inequalities Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Greater Montreal Area, Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic had devastating effects around the world, yet it was not experienced equally by all. The emergence of the virus has been linked with the intensification of discrimination and inequities, as well as other systemic issues already present in society prior to the pandemic. The CoVivre Program was created with the mission to facilitate and accelerate initiatives aimed at reducing socioeconomic and health disparities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greater Montreal Area. CoVivre aims to inform, protect, and support communities, with an emphasis on communities experiencing marginalization, such as ethnic and religious minorities, refugees, asylum seekers, and precarious workers. This mission is guided by the latest research and CoVivre’s values of community empowerment, partnership, democratic communications, and cultural competency, among others. This article describes the process of planning and implementing the program and its components: Communications, Outreach and Awareness Raising, and Psychosocial Support and Mental Health, with a description of one project per component. It also aims to identify obstacles and facilitators of the program, to reflect on their relation with local and global ecosystems and their relationship to community action, and to examine community mobilization as expressing both resilience and resistance to top-down impositions.

COVID-19 Experiences and Social Distancing: Insights From the Theory of Planned Behavior.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between COVID-19 experiences, perceived COVID-19 behavioral control, social norms and attitudes, and future intention to follow social distancing guidelines. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. SETTING: Participants responded to an on-line survey in June 2020. SUBJECTS: The study included 3,183 residents within Quebec, Canada aged 18 and over. MEASURES: Measures include perceived COVID-19 related discrimination, fear of COVID-19 infection, prior exposure to COVID-19, and prior social distancing behavior. Participants self-reported attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and perceived norms related to social distancing. Finally, we measured social distancing behavioral intention. ANALYSIS: We evaluated a theory of planned behavior (TPB) measurement model of social distancing using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The association between COVID-19 perceived discrimination, fear of infection, previous social distancing behavior, exposure to COVID-19, TPB constructs and behavioral intentions to social distance were estimated using SEM path analysis. RESULTS: TPB constructs were positively associated with intention to follow social distancing guidelines. Fear of COVID-19 infection and prior social distancing behavior were positively associated with behavioral intentions. In contrast, perceived discrimination was negatively associated with the outcome. Associations between fear of COVID-19, perceived COVID-19 discrimination and behavioral intentions were partially mediated by constructs of TPB. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 prevention efforts designed to emphasize positive attitudes, perceived control, and social norms around social distancing should carefully balance campaigns that heighten fear of infection along with anti- discrimination messaging.

Latent class analysis of COVID-19 experiences, social distancing, and mental health.

Information is needed on the relationship between coronavirus disease (COVID-19) social distancing restrictions and their relationship with mental health. In particular, there is limited investigation into how COVID-related adversities have positively mobilized individuals. We use latent class analysis (LCA) to identify subtypes of positive and negative aspects of the experience of COVID-19 social distancing and the association of these subtypes with mental health. We conduct an online survey of COVID-19 and mental health with 3,183 adults residing in Quebec, Canada, during the first wave of the epidemic. We use LCA to identify subtypes of positive and negative aspects of social distancing. We use logistic and linear regression to estimate the associations between class membership and self-reported impact of COVID-19 on mental health and scores on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL-10). We identify five classes of individuals in regards to perceived positives and negatives of social distancing related to COVID-19, named Low Impact, Freedom/Flexibility, Safety, Family/Home, and Hardships. Sociodemographic variables including age, gender, race/ethnicity, and self-reported mental health prior to COVID are associated with class assignment. Latent classes are associated with both outcomes (p < .001). Individuals in the Hardships class have greater odds of reporting a significant impact of COVID-19 on mental health, OR = 2.09, 95% CI = [1.53, 2.86], p < .001, and have higher scores on the HSCL-10, ß = .32, 95% CI = [.23, .42], p < .001, than those individuals in the Low Impact group after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Gender, age, and self-reported mental health prior to COVID-19 are independently associated with both outcomes (p < .001). We discuss study implications for public health programming and interventions to promote the mental health of at-risk populations during the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Ethno-cultural disparities in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study on the impact of exposure to the virus and COVID-19-related discrimination and stigma on mental health across ethno-cultural groups in Quebec (Canada)

Background: Although social and structural inequalities associated with COVID-19 have been documented since the start of the pandemic, few studies have explored the association between pandemic-specific risk factors and the mental health of minority populations. Aims: We investigated the association of exposure to the virus, COVID-19-related discrimination and stigma with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a culturally diverse sample of adults in Quebec (Canada). Method: A total of 3273 residents of the province of Quebec (49% aged 18-39 years, 57% women, 51% belonging to a minority ethno-cultural group) completed an online survey. We used linear and ordinal logistic regression to identify the relationship between COVID-19 experiences and mental health, and the moderating role of ethno-cultural identity. Results: Mental health varied significantly based on socioeconomic status and ethno-cultural group, with those with lower incomes and Arab participants reporting higher psychological distress. Exposure to the virus, COVID-19-related discrimination, and stigma were associated with poorer mental health. Associations with mental health varied across ethno-cultural groups, with exposed and discriminated Black participants reporting higher mental distress. Conclusions: Findings indicate sociocultural inequalities in mental health related to COVID-19 in the Canadian context. COVID-19-related risk factors, including exposure, discrimination and stigma, jeopardise mental health. This burden is most noteworthy for the Black community. There is an urgent need for public health authorities and health professionals to advocate against the discrimination of racialised minorities, and ensure that mental health services are accessible and culturally sensitive during and in the aftermath of the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Ethno-cultural disparities in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study on the impact of exposure to the virus and COVID-19-related discrimination and stigma on mental health across ethno-cultural groups in Quebec (Canada).

BACKGROUND: Although social and structural inequalities associated with COVID-19 have been documented since the start of the pandemic, few studies have explored the association between pandemic-specific risk factors and the mental health of minority populations. AIMS: We investigated the association of exposure to the virus, COVID-19-related discrimination and stigma with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a culturally diverse sample of adults in Quebec (Canada). METHOD: A total of 3273 residents of the province of Quebec (49% aged 18-39 years, 57% women, 51% belonging to a minority ethno-cultural group) completed an online survey. We used linear and ordinal logistic regression to identify the relationship between COVID-19 experiences and mental health, and the moderating role of ethno-cultural identity. RESULTS: Mental health varied significantly based on socioeconomic status and ethno-cultural group, with those with lower incomes and Arab participants reporting higher psychological distress. Exposure to the virus, COVID-19-related discrimination, and stigma were associated with poorer mental health. Associations with mental health varied across ethno-cultural groups, with exposed and discriminated Black participants reporting higher mental distress. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate sociocultural inequalities in mental health related to COVID-19 in the Canadian context. COVID-19-related risk factors, including exposure, discrimination and stigma, jeopardise mental health. This burden is most noteworthy for the Black community. There is an urgent need for public health authorities and health professionals to advocate against the discrimination of racialised minorities, and ensure that mental health services are accessible and culturally sensitive during and in the aftermath of the pandemic.