Defiance
and low trust in medical doctors related to vaccine scepticism
University
of Turku
The
results of a study conducted by scientists at the University of Turku, Åbo
Akademi University, and University of Bristol, show that people who tend to
react negatively to rules and recommendations have lower trust in medical
doctors and a more negative attitude towards vaccines, or reject vaccines for
themselves or their children.
"The
vaccine recommendations given by authorities or the social pressure in society
to get vaccinated may cause defiance in people who tend to react negatively
when they feel that they are forced to do something or that someone is trying
to persuade them," says Anna Soveri, Academy Research Fellow at the
University of Turku, Finland.
Because
of the defiance, people may act contrary to what is expected of them.
"In
this case, defiance can lead to scepticism towards medical doctors and negative
attitudes towards vaccines, or even vaccine refusal," says Soveri.
The
study also showed that defiance and low trust in doctors are related to a
higher likelihood to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM
refers to treatments and substances that are not included in evidence-based
medicine, meaning treatments and substances for which the efficacy has not been
clearly demonstrated through established scientific methods.
In
the study, 770 parents of young children were presented with a list of CAM
products, from which they were asked to select the ones they had used during
the past 12 months to treat an illness or to maintain good health. Almost 40
per cent of the parents reported using one or more CAM products.
"To
use complementary and alternative medicine may be a way for people to feel like
they are free to make decisions in matters that concern their own health,"
says Soveri.
High
Trust towards Doctors
Half
of the parents reported that they had taken the flu vaccine during the
preceding season.
Approximately 75 per cent of the parents had accepted the childhood vaccines for their children without hesitation, but approximately seven per cent had refused to take a vaccine for their child at least once.
Approximately 75 per cent of the parents had accepted the childhood vaccines for their children without hesitation, but approximately seven per cent had refused to take a vaccine for their child at least once.
However,
most parents expressed high or relatively high trust in doctors.
"For
example, nine out of ten parents partly or completely trusted the doctors'
ability to make correct diagnoses and that doctors have their patients' best
interest in mind when making health-related decisions," tells Soveri.
The
parents who participated in the study are part of the FinnBrain Birth Cohort
Study at the University of Turku. The FinnBrain research is a birth cohort
study with more than 4,000 families. The project was launched at the University
of Turku in 2010, and its purpose is to study the combined influence of
environmental and genetic factors on child development.