Collective efficacy: A protective factor for sexual minority men during the U.S. mpox outbreak.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
OBJECTIVES: Collective efficacy is an understudied potential protective factor for health behavior change. This study extends previous research on HIV and COVID-19 infection to test associations with mpox vaccination and symptoms of depression and anxiety among sexual minority men during the mpox outbreak. METHOD: Between July 28, 2022 and September 22, 2022, adult cisgender sexual minority men (n = 2,614) were recruited from social networking applications and completed a cross-sectional online survey that assessed collective efficacy (united action), mpox vaccination, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. RESULTS: In multivariable regression models, united action was positively associated with having received at least one dose of the mpox vaccine (OR = 1.025, p = .04) and negatively associated with anxiety (β = -.055, p < .004) and depression (β = -.037, p = .05) above and beyond disease-related cognition and behavioral risk factors (sex with casual partners and substance use). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that perceptions of community agency to overcome health threats may be associated with individual health benefits. Clinically, these results suggest interventions that activate or develop community-level capacity to cope or respond to disease outbreaks may be useful public health strategies to mitigate infection risk as well as some mental health challenges among members of communities at high risk of infection. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
