# Brief digital intervention to increase COVID-19 vaccination among individuals with anxiety or depression

> **NIH NIH RF1** · GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY · 2022 · $3,296,734

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Despite increased risk of COVID-19 infection, severe complications, hospitalizations, and death, people with
mental health disorders report greater vaccine hesitancy and have lower COVID vaccination levels than the
general population. Individuals with mental health disorders are much more likely to endorse COVID-19
vaccine misinformation, which may mediate the relationship between mental health and vaccine
hesitancy. Interventions capable of mitigating the impact of vaccine hesitancy, mis/disinformation, and
logistical barriers among unvaccinated people with mental health disorders are an urgent priority.
Attitudinal inoculation is a brief, scalable strategy to address mis/disinformation. In a quasi-experimental trial,
our team found that a brief online attitudinal inoculation intervention specifically addressing COVID-19 vaccine
mis/disinformation significantly decreased COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and increased resistance to vaccine
misinformation among unvaccinated US adults. However, its effectiveness among individuals with mental
health disorders is unknown. Informed by inoculation theory, attitudinal inoculation leverages the power of
narrative, values, and emotion to strengthen resistance to misinformation and reduce hesitancy and is well-
suited for low-information audiences and ideologically polarized or conspiratorial groups. The proposed
research project will leverage the infrastructure of the national CHASING COVID Cohort, a large and
geographically diverse community-based US cohort, to tailor and test the effectiveness of a brief digital
attitudinal inoculation intervention to increase vaccination among adults with anxiety or depression symptoms.
Aim 1: Characterize the relationship between symptoms of anxiety and depression and vaccine/booster
uptake, and other related determinants of vaccine uptake (including endorsement of COVID-19 misinformation
and vaccine hesitancy) among those with and without anxiety/depression
Aim 2: Adapt and pilot an evidence-based attitudinal inoculation intervention to increase COVID-19 vaccination
and boosting among adults with symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Aim 3: Determine the effectiveness of two brief digital attitudinal inoculation intervention strategies compared
with conventional public health messaging for increasing vaccine uptake in un/undervaccinated and unboosted
adults.
This study directly addresses the priorities of the National Institute of Mental Health and the PAR: COVID-19
Mental Health Research (PAR-22-112) to conduct “intervention effectiveness research to address vaccine
hesitancy, uptake, and implementation among mental health populations.” This research will rapidly
generate evidence to inform the development and implementation of strategies to increase vaccination uptake
and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 among mental health populations. Beyond the COVID pandemic, this
research has direct applicability to future pandemics and routine vaccination campaigns.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10613750
- **Project number:** 1RF1MH132360-01
- **Recipient organization:** GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY
- **Principal Investigator:** Denis Nash
- **Activity code:** RF1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $3,296,734
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10613750

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10613750, Brief digital intervention to increase COVID-19 vaccination among individuals with anxiety or depression (1RF1MH132360-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10613750. Licensed CC0.

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