COVID-19 Vaccination and Mental Health Outcomes among Greek Adults in 2021: Preliminary Evidence
Kyriakos Souliotis,
Lily E. Peppou,
Theodoros V. Giannouchos,
Myrto Samara,
Dimitra Sifaki-Pistolla,
Marina Economou,
Helena C. Maltezou
Affiliations
Kyriakos Souliotis
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Peloponnese, 221 00 Corinth, Greece
Lily E. Peppou
Unit of Social Psychiatry & Psychosocial Care, University Mental Health, Neurosciences & Precision Medicine Research Institute, “Costas Stefanis” (UMHRI), 156 01 Athens, Greece
Theodoros V. Giannouchos
Department of Health Services Policy & Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Myrto Samara
Third Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Dimitra Sifaki-Pistolla
Health Policy Institute, 151 23 Athens, Greece
Marina Economou
Unit of Social Psychiatry & Psychosocial Care, University Mental Health, Neurosciences & Precision Medicine Research Institute, “Costas Stefanis” (UMHRI), 156 01 Athens, Greece
Helena C. Maltezou
Directorate for Research, Studies and Documentation, National Public Health Organization, 151 23 Athens, Greece
Existing research on the association between COVID-19 vaccination and quantitatively measured mental health outcomes is scarce. We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey on a random sample of 1039 adult Greek citizens in June 2021. Among the participants, 39.6% were vaccinated with two doses, 23.1% with one dose, 21.4% were planning to become vaccinated later, and 8.1% refused vaccination. Compared to those fully vaccinated, those against vaccination (“deniers”) and those who planned to do so later on (“not vaccinated yet”) had significantly higher scores across three stress, anxiety, and depression construct scales. Our findings suggest an association between COVID-19 vaccination status and mental health.
