Abstract

Abstract
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 selected through random sampling and agreed to participate voluntarily. 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, with most participants holding at least a university degree and reporting middle income levels, while the majority lived in nuclear families. Cognitive flexibility scores were higher among university and postgraduate graduates compared to those with primary education. There was a marginal trend suggesting higher cognitive flexibility in participants with higher incomes. Employment status influenced vaccine hesitancy significantly; self-employed women demonstrated higher hesitancy than those unemployed, Public sector employees exhibited the highest levels of risk perception. A moderate, positive correlation was found between cognitive flexibility and vaccine hesitancy. Moderation analysis confirmed that cognitive flexibility did not significantly alter the relationship between pregnancy risk perception and vaccine hesitancy. The overal model explained 7.8% of the variance in vaccine hesitancy, but was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: The findings underscore the complex nature of vaccine hesitancy, highlighting that cognitive processes alone may be insufficient to predict vaccination attitudes in the context of 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.

Key words: Vaccine Hesitancy, Risk Perception in Pregnancy, Cognitive Flexibility, Expectant Mothers