A little shot of humility: Intellectual humility predicts vaccination attitudes and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19.

Vaccinations remain a critical, albeit surprisingly controversial, health behavior, especially with the promise of widely available COVID-19 vaccine. Intellectual humility, a virtue characterized by nonjudgmental recognition of one's own intellectual fallibility, may counter rigidity associated with anti-vaccination attitudes and help promote vaccine-related behaviors. This study investigated whether intellectual humility is related to anti-vaccination attitudes and intentions to vaccinate against COVID-19, and whether intellectual humility can predict unique variance in these outcomes beyond participant demographic and personal factors. Participants (N = 351, 57.23% male, mean age = 37.41 years, SD = 11.51) completed a multidimensional measure for intellectual humility, the anti-vaccination attitudes (VAX) scale, and a two-item COVID-19 vaccination intention scale. Bivariate correlations demonstrated that intellectual humility was negatively related with anti-vaccination attitudes overall, r(349) = -.46, p < .001, and positively related to intentions to vaccinate against COVID-19, r(349) = .20, p < .001. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that intellectual humility predicted all four types anti-vaccination attitudes, overall anti-vaccination attitudes, and COVID-19 vaccination intentions above and beyond demographic and personal factors (i.e., sex, race/ethnicity, age, education, socioeconomic status, and political orientation), ΔR 2 between .08 and .18, ps < .001. These results bolster intellectual humility as a malleable psychological factor to consider in efforts to combat anti-vaccination attitudes and promote COVID-19 vaccination uptake.

Intellectual humility's association with vaccine attitudes and intentions.

Vaccinations are critical to public health but uptake levels remain suboptimal. Intellectual humility, a virtue characterized by nonjudgmental recognition of one's own intellectual fallibility, may support the promotion of favorable vaccine attitudes. The current study investigated whether intellectual humility is related to anti-vaccination attitudes and intentions to vaccinate against the flu. Through an online survey management system, participants (N = 246, Mage = 39.06 years, SDage = 10.57, 50.80% female, 79.20% White, 6.50% Black/African American, 7.80% Asian, 1.20% Hispanic/Latino, and 5.30% Other) completed a measure for intellectual humility, the anti-vaccination attitudes (VAX) scale, and a three-item flu vaccine intention scale. We found that intellectual humility negatively correlated with anti-vaccination attitudes. This correlation was largely driven by openness to revising one's viewpoint and lack of intellectual overconfidence. Additionally, we found that intellectual humility did not relate to flu vaccination intentions. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings and their potential to support the eventual development of strategies to leverage intellectual humility into a health promotion strategy.

Is the worship of celebrities associated with resistance to vaccinations? Relationships between celebrity admiration, anti-vaccination attitudes, and beliefs in conspiracy.

Vaccinations and anti-vaccination attitudes have reclaimed the spotlight as a crucial health behavior because of the recent surge in outbreaks of preventable diseases. One factor that may be contributing to this trend is the outspoken role that anti-vaccination celebrities play. The main purpose of the present study was to determine whether anti-vaccination attitudes are related to celebrity admiration. We hypothesized a positive correlation between anti-vaccination attitudes and celebrity interest and admiration. We also hypothesized that persons who are very concerned about the commercial profiteering of vaccinations will also tend to believe in conspiracies. Participants (N = 320, 40% female, mean age = 36.28, SD = 11.32) completed the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) and the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale (VAX) through an online survey management system. We found significant positive associations between anti-vaccination attitudes and celebrity admiration and interest. However, celebrity admiration and interest did not correlate with mistrust of vaccine benefits, as measured by a subdomain of the VAX. Additionally, we found that concerns about commercial profiteering from vaccines correlated with beliefs in conspiracy theories. Our study suggests a new way of approaching people's anti-vaccination attitudes that may be used to effectively educate the public about the importance of vaccinations.

The relationship between physician humility, physician-patient communication, and patient health.

OBJECTIVE: Cultural portrayals of physicians suggest an unclear and even contradictory role for humility in the physician-patient relationship. Despite the social importance of humility, however, little empirical research has linked humility in physicians with patient outcomes or the characteristics of the doctor-patient visit. The present study investigated the relationship between physician humility, physician-patient communication, and patients' perceptions of their health during a planned medical visit. METHODS: Primary care physician-patient interactions (297 patients across 100 physicians) were rated for the physician's humility and the effectiveness of the physician-patient communication. Additionally, patients reported their overall health and physicians and patients reported their satisfaction with the interaction. RESULTS: Within-physician fluctuations in physician humility and self-reported patient health positively predicted one another, and mean-level differences in physician humility predicted effective physician-patient communication, even when controlling for the patient's and physician's satisfaction with the visit and the physician's frustration with the patient. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that humble, rather than paternalistic or arrogant, physicians are most effective at working with their patients. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Interventions to improve physician humility may promote better communication between health care providers and patients, and, in turn, better patient outcomes.

Clinician styles of care: transforming patient care at the intersection of leadership and medicine.

A key role of clinicians is to motivate their patients to initiate and maintain beneficial health behaviors. This article integrates research on transformational leadership, clinician-patient communication, and health behavior to introduce a novel approach to understanding and improving clinicians' effectiveness as motivators. We describe three dominant clinician styles or patterned approaches to patient care that derive from leadership theory (in order of least to most effective): laissez-faire, transactional, and transformational. Additionally, we suggest potential mediators and effects of the transformational style of care. Finally, we discuss future research directions for the study of clinician styles of care.