Medical Mistrust and SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing Among African Americans and White Americans

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Psychosocial Factors in Health
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Psychosocial factors, such as medical mistrust, can impede the adoption of health tools and treatments, including COVID-19 interventions.
• Limited research exists on how medical mistrust influences SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing uptake, especially concerning racial differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if medical mistrust affects receptivity to SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing.
• To determine if the influence of medical mistrust on antibody testing receptivity differs across racial groups.

Main Methods:

• An online study recruited African American and White American participants from a Midwest urban community.
• Participants completed a medical mistrust scale and viewed educational videos on SARS-CoV-2 and antibody testing.
• Receptivity to antibody testing was measured using Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs.

Main Results:

• African Americans reported higher medical mistrust than White Americans, but no significant race differences in overall receptivity to antibody testing were found.
• Increased medical mistrust was consistently associated with lower receptivity to antibody testing across all TPB measures.
• A significant interaction indicated that medical mistrust more strongly predicted less favorable attitudes toward antibody testing among White Americans compared to African Americans.

Conclusions:

• Medical mistrust acts as a psychosocial barrier to SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing.
• Despite higher prevalence in African Americans, medical mistrust exerted a greater negative influence on antibody testing receptivity among White Americans.
• Understanding race-specific influences of medical mistrust is crucial for addressing health behavior barriers across diverse populations.