LATEBREAKER
COVID-19 Pandemic
Application of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to Quantify Teen-Parent COVID-19 Vaccine Decision-Making Annette Regan* Annette Regan Marie-Claude Couture Timothy Callaghan Brianna Agnew Jillian Baker Onyebuchi Arah
Although adolescents are likely to play a role in vaccine decision-making and US states are increasingly allowing adolescents (teens) to self-consent to vaccination, few studies have considered teens’ role in COVID-19 vaccine decision-making. We apply the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to understand actor (teen) and partner (parent) effects of vaccine hesitancy on teen COVID-19 vaccination uptake. We conducted a nationally representative survey of teens aged 12-17 years old and their parents (n=764 teen-parent dyads). Parents completed a 20-minute online survey and provided consent for their teen child to participate. Teen participants separately assented to participate and completed a similar survey. Parental and teen surveys measured self-reported COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine hesitancy using a modified version of the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale for teen COVID-19 vaccination (tVHS), with higher scores indicating greater hesitancy (range 18 to 90). We used structural equation modeling to examine actor and partner influences on COVID-19 vaccination uptake. Teen and parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was strongly correlated (r = 0.85) and this was consistent across teen ages. Structural equation modeling indicated for every one unit increase in parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, teen COVID-19 vaccination decreased by 1.2% (SE 0.002) and parental COVID-19 vaccination decreased by 1.5% (SE 0.002). For every one unit increase in teen COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, teen COVID-19 vaccination decreased by 1.1% (SE 0.002) and parental COVID-19 vaccination decreased by 0.4% (SE 0.002). Through this novel application of the APIM, we show that vaccine hesitancy expressed by teens and their parents have a negative influence on teen COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccination rates remain lower among teens compared to adults, and these findings suggest that public health intervention should target both teens and their parents.
