Using knowledge of, attitude toward, and daily preventive practices for COVID-19 to predict the level of post-traumatic stress and vaccine acceptance among adults in Hong Kong

IntroductionCOVID-19 has been perceived as an event triggering a new type of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) that can live during and after the pandemic itself. However, it remains unclear whether such PTSD is partly related to people's knowledge of, attitude toward and daily behavioral practices (KAP) for COVID-19. MethodsThrough a telephone survey, we collected responses from 3,011 adult Hong Kong residents. Then using the Catboost machine learning method, we examined whether KAP predicted the participant's PTSD level, vaccine acceptance and participation in voluntary testing. ResultsResults suggested that having good preventative practices for, poor knowledge of, and negative attitude toward COVID-19 were associated with greater susceptibility to PTSD. Having a positive attitude and good compliance with preventative practices significantly predicted willingness to get vaccinated and participate in voluntary testing. Good knowledge of COVID-19 predicted engagement in testing but showed little association with vaccine acceptance. DiscussionTo maintain good mental health and ongoing vaccine acceptance, it is important to foster people's sense of trust and belief in health professionals' and government's ability to control COVID-19, in addition to strengthening people's knowledge of and compliance with preventative measures.

Automated summary

This study investigated the relationship between individuals' knowledge, attitude, and daily behavioral practices related to COVID-19 (KAP) and their susceptibility to PTSD. The results showed that poor knowledge, negative attitude, and lack of preventative practices were associated with higher vulnerability to PTSD. Positive attitude and good compliance with preventative practices predicted vaccine acceptance and willingness to participate in voluntary testing. Good knowledge of COVID-19 predicted engagement in testing but had little association with vaccine acceptance.