Psychological Distance, Construal Level, and Parental Vaccine Hesitancy for COVID-19, HPV, and Monkey Pox Vaccines

Building on the construal-level theory and the multi-dimensional model of behavioral barriers, this study examined whether psychological distance and construal level explain the association between behavioral intention and behavioral barriers that may lead to parental vaccine hesitancy. Results of multilevel structural equation models show that low vaccination intention, far distance perception, and abstract construal of vaccines led to more global concerns, such as vaccine safety and relevance. Such effects emerged when people considered specific vaccines, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), human papillomavirus (HPV), and monkeypox vaccines, and when they considered multiple vaccines in general.