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Volume 14
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10.3390/jcm14113689
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Discrepancy Between Vaccination Willingness and Actual SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Status in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Longitudinal Study

by
Felicita Heidler
1,2,*,
Michael Hecker
3,
Niklas Frahm
3,
Julia Baldt
3,
Silvan Elias Langhorst
3,
Pegah Mashhadiakbar
3,
Barbara Streckenbach
3,
Katja Burian
3,
Jörg Richter
1,4 and
Uwe Klaus Zettl
3
1
Department of Neurology, Ecumenic Hainich Hospital gGmbH, 99974 Mühlhausen, Germany
2
Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, 07747 Jena, Germany
3
Division of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Rostock University Medical Center, 18147 Rostock, Germany
4
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(11), 3689; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14113689 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 25 March 2025 / Revised: 14 May 2025 / Accepted: 22 May 2025 / Published: 24 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Clinical Neurology)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a significant health risk, especially for individuals with chronic medical conditions. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most prevalent chronic, immune-mediated neurological disorder, and vaccinations are essential to its management. This study aimed to compare the reported willingness to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 with the actual vaccination status among people with MS (pwMS) and identify factors explaining the discrepancy. Methods: In a longitudinal, two-center study, we analyzed 149 patients aged 18 or older with a diagnosis of clinically isolated syndrome or MS. The participants completed three surveys: a baseline survey (from June 2019 to June 2020), a pre-vaccine follow-up (from May to July 2020), and a post-vaccine follow-up (from October 2021 to January 2022). The data included sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological information. Results: Among the 149 participants, 122 (81.9%) received a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, while 27 (18.1%) did not. The pwMS who were unwilling to become vaccinated and remained unvaccinated were less likely to live with a partner, had higher smoking rates, took more medications, had a higher number of previously discontinued disease-modifying therapies, and found pandemic policies inappropriate. No significant associations were found between vaccination willingness/status and factors like age, sex, depression, or anxiety. Conclusions: This study highlights the gap between vaccination willingness and actual status in pwMS, revealing factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. The findings of this study offer insights into addressing vaccine uptake.
Keywords: multiple sclerosis; SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; vaccination willingness; vaccination status multiple sclerosis; SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; vaccination willingness; vaccination status

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MDPI and ACS Style

Heidler, F.; Hecker, M.; Frahm, N.; Baldt, J.; Langhorst, S.E.; Mashhadiakbar, P.; Streckenbach, B.; Burian, K.; Richter, J.; Zettl, U.K. Discrepancy Between Vaccination Willingness and Actual SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Status in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Longitudinal Study. J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14, 3689. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14113689

AMA Style

Heidler F, Hecker M, Frahm N, Baldt J, Langhorst SE, Mashhadiakbar P, Streckenbach B, Burian K, Richter J, Zettl UK. Discrepancy Between Vaccination Willingness and Actual SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Status in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025; 14(11):3689. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14113689

Chicago/Turabian Style

Heidler, Felicita, Michael Hecker, Niklas Frahm, Julia Baldt, Silvan Elias Langhorst, Pegah Mashhadiakbar, Barbara Streckenbach, Katja Burian, Jörg Richter, and Uwe Klaus Zettl. 2025. "Discrepancy Between Vaccination Willingness and Actual SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Status in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Longitudinal Study" Journal of Clinical Medicine 14, no. 11: 3689. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14113689

APA Style

Heidler, F., Hecker, M., Frahm, N., Baldt, J., Langhorst, S. E., Mashhadiakbar, P., Streckenbach, B., Burian, K., Richter, J., & Zettl, U. K. (2025). Discrepancy Between Vaccination Willingness and Actual SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Status in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(11), 3689. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14113689

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