Measuring COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among College Students with Disabilities: Sociodemographic and Psychological Correlates of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

The purpose of the study was to explore characteristics of vaccine hesitancy and behaviors among college students with disabilities. Participants and Methods: Participants consisted of 105 college students with disabilities (M[subscript age]=26.82, SD = 8.42), and a majority of participants were female (69.5%) and Hispanic (85%). Results: No demographic differences were observed in vaccine hesitancy scores in this sample. Those who do not know where to get reliable information about COVID-19 vaccination had higher scores on vaccine hesitancy than those who know how to obtain reliable information; and participants who had a negative experience with a previous vaccination also had higher scores of vaccine hesitancy. Additionally, findings demonstrated COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scores were negatively associated with openness to experience personality trait and COVID-19-related perceived stress. Conclusions: Implications provide additional insight into factors associated with vaccine hesitancy among college students with disabilities.