Refusal to have Covid vaccine 'may be linked to childhood trauma'

Reluctance or refusal to get the Covid vaccine may be linked to childhood traumas such as neglect, alcoholism and domestic violence, new research suggests.

The new study, published in the BMJ Open journal and supported by Public Health Wales, surveyed 2,285 people aged 18 and over in Wales during lockdown restrictions.

It found that people who suffered in childhood were least likely to trust NHS information, wear masks and follow coronavirus guidelines.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) included in the study were physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, parental separation, exposure to domestic violence, living with a household member with mental illness, alcohol and/or drug misuse or having a family member in prison.

Experts looked at nine different ACEs as well as low trust in Covid guidance, whether people supported the removal of restrictions and if they were hesitant to get vaccinated.

They found that 52 per cent of those in the study had not experienced any childhood trauma while around one in five had suffered one type, around one in six (17%) reported two to three, and one in 10 (10%) reported four or more.

The results showed that the more childhood traumas people had experienced, the more likely they were to distrust Covid information, feel unfairly restricted by the government and support the end of regulations such as mandatory face masks.

People who had experienced four or more ACEs were twice as likely to break coronavirus restrictions than those with none and were three times more likely to be hesitant about having the vaccine.

Age was also a factor in vaccine hesitancy, as 38 per cent of 18 to 29 year olds with more than four ACEs were less likely to get vaccinated quickly while older people were more likely to. Overall, 8 per cent of those questioned would not agree to being vaccinated.

One quarter of all participants also admitted to occasionally breaking the rules.

The authors concluded: “While pandemic responses should consider how best to reach those suffering from ACEs, longer term, better compliance with public health advice is another reason to invest in safe and secure childhoods for all children.”