# Exploring healthcare workers’ immunisation behaviour towards COVID-19 vaccines through psychological patterns

## TL;DR

This study explores how psychological factors influence healthcare workers' stress and vaccination behavior for COVID-19 in Morocco.

## Contribution

The paper identifies key psychological and demographic factors associated with vaccination stress among healthcare workers in Morocco.

## Key findings

- 51.6% of healthcare professionals experienced stress related to vaccination.
- Females were nearly twice as likely to experience vaccination stress.
- Vaccination profile and prior infection with COVID-19 were significantly linked to stress.

## Abstract

The psychological approach can provide valuable insights into vaccination behaviour, especially in high-risk contexts. It offers new perspectives for effective interventions to improve vaccination behaviour.

To investigate key factors influencing stress related to vaccination in emergency situations among healthcare professionals.

Eastern region of Morocco.

We conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study involving 221 healthcare professionals in the Eastern region of Morocco. A snowball sampling method was used to select the participants who were administered a questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed with p < 0.05 being the level of statistical significance.

The participants had a median age of 25.5 years (30–34.5) and were predominantly females (68.3%). Vaccination coverage stood at 84.6%, with a positive perception of 77.8%. The analysis of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) revealed that 51.6% (n = 114) of healthcare professionals experienced stress towards vaccination. Females were almost two times more susceptible to experiencing vaccination stress (p = 0.03). Furthermore, the analysis showed that vaccination profile (p = 0.02), accepting the vaccine for any reason other than its accessibility (p = 0.03) and having a previous coronavirus disease 2019 infection (p = 0.03), were significantly associated with stress. In contrast, healthcare professionals based at the university hospital had a significantly lower stress level (p = 0.01).

Moroccan healthcare professionals exhibited high vaccine acceptance and positive perceptions, particularly among vaccinated individuals despite notable stress around immunisation.

These insights can guide governments and policymakers in developing strategies to enhance healthcare workers’ awareness and understanding of vaccination.