National Institute of Mental Health PA-20-176

Using Data Science to Quantify the Impact of Misinformation, Mistrust, and Other Key Psychosocial Factors on Vaccine Hesitancy Among Vulnerable People Experiencing Psychopathology.

The award funds a project at the University of Minnesota to study vaccine hesitancy among people with severe mental illness using data science and social media analysis, aiming to develop targeted interventions to improve vaccination rates.

Description

This project aims to identify the unique reasons for vaccine hesitancy in people with severe mental illness (SMI), uncover causal pathways to hesitancy, and evaluate the effectiveness of herd immunity education tailored to this group. The study involves recruiting individuals with SMI, depression/anxiety, and healthy controls to compare vaccine intentions, beliefs, and misinformation endorsement. Advanced causal discovery algorithms and natural language processing will be used to analyze factors influencing hesitancy and misinformation in social media. The project will also test whether educational interventions about herd immunity have differential effects across groups. The findings will inform evidence-based strategies to improve vaccination rates and reduce health disparities in vulnerable populations.

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