Predictors of vaccine uptake during a pandemic: The interplay of lifetime discrimination, educational attainment, and family support.

Abstract

The experience of discrimination can have significant health implications, especially during a global pandemic. This study examines how lifetime discrimination, educational attainment (measured in years of education), and family support individually and interactively predict COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Low educational attainment may amplify the impact of discrimination due to increased vulnerability to misinformation. Conversely, family support can buffer the negative effects of discrimination on health behaviors by mitigating how stressors adversely influence health decisions. We utilized national data from the Midlife in the United States (N = 2004; aged 25-74). The results showed that although lifetime discrimination did not predict vaccine uptake, interaction analyses revealed that lifetime discrimination, in combination with higher educational attainment predicted lower vaccine uptake. In addition, family support moderated the relationship between lifetime discrimination and vaccine uptake, buffering its negative impact. These findings highlight the complex interplay of factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination decisions.