Nocebo-Prone Behavior Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Hesitancy in Healthcare Workers
Dimos D. Mitsikostas,
Konstantina Aravantinou-Fatorou,
Christina Deligianni,
Evrydiki Kravvariti,
Eleni Korompoki,
Maria Mylona,
Pinelopi Vryttia,
Georgia Papagiannopoulou,
Eumorphia-Maria Delicha,
Athanasios Dellis,
Georgios Tsivgoulis,
Meletios A. Dimopoulos,
Martina Amanzio,
Petros P. Sfikakis
Affiliations
Dimos D. Mitsikostas
1st Neurology Department, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
Konstantina Aravantinou-Fatorou
1st Neurology Department, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
Christina Deligianni
Danish Headache Center, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, University of Copenhagen, 2600 Copenhagen, Denmark
Evrydiki Kravvariti
1st Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Joint Rheumatology Program, Laikon General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Eleni Korompoki
Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
Maria Mylona
1st Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Joint Rheumatology Program, Laikon General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Pinelopi Vryttia
Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
Georgia Papagiannopoulou
2nd Neurology Department, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Eumorphia-Maria Delicha
ASTAT, Statistics in Clinical Research, 16675 Glyfada, Greece
Athanasios Dellis
2nd Surgery Department, Aretaieion Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
Georgios Tsivgoulis
2nd Neurology Department, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Meletios A. Dimopoulos
Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
Martina Amanzio
Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Verdi 10, 10124 Turin, Italy
Petros P. Sfikakis
1st Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Joint Rheumatology Program, Laikon General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Among healthcare workers (HCWs), SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy may be linked to a higher susceptibility to nocebo effects, i.e., adverse events (AEs) experienced after medical treatments due to negative expectations. To investigate this hypothesis a cross-sectional survey was performed with a self-completed questionnaire that included a tool (Q-No) for the identification of nocebo-prone individuals. A total of 1309 HCWs (67.2% women; 43.4% physicians; 28.4% nurses; 11.5% administrative staff; 16.6% other personnel) completed the questionnaires, among whom 237 (18.1%) had declined vaccination. Q-No scores were ≥15 in 325 participants (24.8%) suggesting nocebo-prone behavior. In a multivariate logistic regression model with Q-No score, age, gender, and occupation as independent variables, estimated odds ratios (ORs) of vaccination were 0.43 (i.e., less likely, p p = 0.013), and 4.7 (i.e., more likely) in physicians vs. other HCWs (p p p = 0.017) independently of age and Q-No score, which were not significantly associated with OR of AE. These findings suggest that nocebo-prone behavior in HCWs is associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination hesitancy indicating a potential benefit of a campaign focused on nocebo-prone people.
