Hatice TEKBAS, Yasar BARUT, Emre DEMIRTAS, Soner CANKAYA
Annals of Medical Research - 2026;33(7):318-325
Aim: Vaccine hesitancy has emerged as a significant public health problem in recent years. The aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of cognitive flexibility in the relationship between pregnant women's risk perceptions and vaccine hesitancy. Materials and Methods: The study employed a relational screening model. The study population consisted of pregnant women. The sample included 204 participants who were randomly selected and consented to participate. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale, the Pregnancy Risk Perception Scale, and the Cognitive Flexibility Scale. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS v26 and Hayes' PROCESS Macro Model 1. Results: The sample's mean age was 29.5 years; most participants had at least a university degree and reported middle-income status, while a majority lived in nuclear families. Participants with university or postgraduate education had higher cognitive flexibility scores than those with primary education. A marginal trend suggested greater cognitive flexibility among participants with higher incomes. Employment status significantly influenced vaccine hesitancy: self-employed women demonstrated higher hesitancy than those who were unemployed, and public-sector employees exhibited the highest levels of risk perception. A moderate positive correlation was observed between cognitive flexibility and vaccine hesitancy. A moderation analysis confirmed that cognitive flexibility did not significantly moderate the relationship between pregnancy risk perception and vaccine hesitancy. The overall model explained 7.8% of the variance in vaccine hesitancy, but was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings underscore the complexity of vaccine hesitancy, indicating that cognitive processes alone may be insufficient to predict vaccination attitudes during pregnancy. Expanding such research to a national scale and integrating qualitative insights could enrich interpretations of how personal and contextual variables jointly shape vaccine hesitancy during pregnancy, ultimately supporting targeted interventions to promote maternal and fetal health.
