PERCEPTION OF CONTROL, DISEASE, AND VACCINE FOR COVID-19: THE EXAMPLE OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the relation between control perception, disease perception, and vaccine perception of healthcare employees regarding Covid-19. The mean scores of the participants in the scale sub-dimension of perception of illness were as follows; the mean dangerousness score was found to be 4.01±0.86, and the mean infectiousness score was found to be 3.82±0.87. The perception of control scale mean macro control score of the healthcare employees was 2.39±0.81, mean micro control score was 2.87±0.87, and mean controllability score was 3.16±0.91. The mean score of positive attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine of the healthcare employees who agreed to participate in the study was found to be 3.70±1.02, and the mean score of negative attitudes towards the vaccine was 3.43±0.79. A statistically significant difference was found in our study between the mean scores of positive attitudes towards the vaccine and professional experience (p<0.05). A statistically significant difference was also detected between the mean positive attitudes scores of the participants towards the vaccine and the variables of direct contact with a COVID-19 patient and chronic disease status (p<0.05). It was determined that healthcare professionals had high Covid-19 disease and control perceptions and negative attitudes towards the vaccine. When the roles and responsibilities of immunization and health workers in controlling pandemics are considered, it is recommended to organize training programs to eliminate the doubts of healthcare employees regarding the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine and to maximize the acceptance of the vaccine.