To Vaccinate or Not: The Relative Impact of Attitudes toward Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Ability to Interpret Scientific Information on Vaccination Decisions (original) (raw)
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Vaccine-Related Beliefs and Practices of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 2012
Although the assertion of a link between vaccines and autism has been scientifically rejected, the theory continues to be popular and may influence the attitudes of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. The authors sought to assess how often parents change or discontinue their child's vaccine schedule after autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and whether beliefs about the etiology of autism affect their decision to do so. The authors surveyed 197 (43%) of 460 eligible parents of children under 18 years of age with autism spectrum disorders who were enrolled in a state-funded agency that provides services to those with developmental disabilities in western Los Angeles County. Half of the parents discontinued or changed vaccination practices, and this was associated with a belief that vaccines contributed to autism spectrum disorders, indicating a potential subset of undervaccinated children. Educational tools should be designed to assist physicians when talking to pa...
Journal of Child Neurology, 2021
Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be at greater risk for developing anti-vaccine beliefs that lead to vaccine delays and/or refusals for their children. We investigated current parental vaccine hesitancy, parents' beliefs about causes of children's developmental delays, and children's vaccination histories among parents of children with ASD or non-ASD developmental delays. Data were analyzed from 89/511 parents (17.4%) who completed the Parent Attitudes About Childhood Vaccines questionnaire and the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire; 46.1% had childhood vaccination records available. Overall, 21/89 (23.6%; [95% CI: 15.0, 34.0]) parents were vaccine hesitant (ASD n = 19/21 [90.5%] , non-ASD n = 2/21 [9.5%]). Parents of children with ASD were significantly more likely to agree with "toxins in vaccines" as a cause of their child's developmental delays (28.4% vs. 5.0%, p = 0.034). The odds of being vaccine hesitant were 11.9 times (95% CI: 2.9, 48.0) greater among parents who agreed versus disagreed that toxins in vaccines caused their children's developmental delays. Rates of prior vaccine receipt did not differ between hesitant and non-hesitant groups. Keywords autism; ASD; developmental delay; vaccines; immunizations; parent perception Vaccines are one of public health's greatest successes and have greatly reduced the morbidity and mortality associated with many infectious diseases (Center for Disease
Beliefs in vaccine as causes of autism among SPARK cohort caregivers
Vaccine
Background: Fear of autism has led to a decline in childhood-immunization uptake and to a resurgence of preventable infectious diseases. Identifying characteristics of parents who believe in a causal role of vaccines for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their child may help targeting educational activities and improve adherence to the immunization schedule. Objectives: To compare caregivers of children with ASD who agree or disagree that vaccines play an etiological role in autism for 1) socio-demographics characteristics and 2) developmental and clinical profiles of their children. Methods: Data from 16,525 participants with ASD under age 18 were obtained from SPARK, a national research cohort started in 2016. Caregivers completed questionnaires at registration that included questions on beliefs about the etiologic role of childhood immunizations and other factors in ASD. Data were available about family socio-demographic characteristics, first symptoms of autism, developmental regression, co-occurring psychiatric disorders, seizures, and current levels of functioning. Results: Participants with ASD were 80.4% male with a mean age of 8.1 years (SD = 4.1). Overall, 16.5% of caregivers endorsed immunizations as perceived causes of autism. Compared to caregivers who disagreed with vaccines as a cause for ASD, those who believed in vaccine causation came disproportionately from ethnic minority, less educated, and less wealthy backgrounds. More often their children had experienced developmental regression involving language and other skills, were diagnosed earlier, had lost skills during the second year of life, and had worse language, adaptive, and cognitive outcomes. Conclusion: One in six caregivers who participate in a national research cohort believe that child immunizations could be a cause of autism in their child. Parent social background (non-White, less educated) and child developmental features (regression in second year, poorer language skills, and worse adaptive outcomes) index caregivers who are more likely to harbor these beliefs and could benefit from targeted educational activities.
Autism and Vaccines: Exploring Misperceptions in Science
2018
This paper will be exploring the supposed link between vaccines and autism which is a hot button topic as of late. Starting at the roots of where this myth began with the infamous and long since disproved initial paper penned by Andrew Wakefield. As of late with the ever-rising numbers of parents deciding to forego the vaccination of their children there is an increasing risk of herd immunity failing leading to old diseases that had been wiped out making a massive resurgence. Detailed in my research findings will be data driven explorations of psychology and human nature changing perception of information and misinformation. There are some completely unsurprising findings in how misinformation propagates and lays down deep roots that are shockingly difficult to reduce in effectiveness. Risk perception has been skewed in the modern age playing on the local knowledge but in the internet age, the seemingly local celebrity drivel being a large driver of misconceptions. Another differenc...
Vaccines and autism: a preliminary qualitative study on the beliefs of concerned mothers in Italy
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
Purpose: While a large body of evidence has shown that the administration of the measlesmumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a hesitant attitude towards childhood vaccination is still present among the public. In this study, we aim to investigate the mothers' perceptions of the cause of their child's ASD in order to increase our understanding of vaccine hesitancy. Methods: This study draws on the analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews of mothers of children with ASD on the causes of autism. Results: The interview material was content-analysed. The main themes were 1) childhood vaccines; 2) genetics; 3) specific conditions of the mother or the newborn at the moment of delivery; 4) environmental factors such as the mother's lifestyle or her diet. The link between vaccines and autism was prevalent. About one third of the mothers reported that their child's ASD was a consequence of a combination of two or more factors, i.e., childhood vaccines and specific conditions of the newborn or the mother at the moment of delivery. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary insights into recurring sets of beliefs concerning the causes of ASD among the mothers of affected children.
Journal of the Siena Academy of Sciences, 2017
Herd immunity towards measles, one of the 20 most lethal diseases in human history, has been recently challenged on a global scale. Despite a missing causal relationship, vaccine fear has triggered a global anti vaccine movement. We investigated i) the extent of the vaccination-autism false belief in a selected Italian population from two geographical areas with and without an ongoing epidemics for a potentially vaccination-preventable infectious disease (Neisseria meningitidis, groups C and B); ii) the corresponding information source; and iii) the belief in a possible global conspiracy. Four different population sub-categories (I-general population; II-parents of autistic children; III-paramedics; IV-physicians, biologists and pharmacists; n=424) were administered anonymous questionnaires. A total of 30.1% of the general population and the 54.5% of autism parents participants believed in a vaccine-autism relationship (P<0.0001). The web was the major information source for the general population (35.3%). A total of 41.6% of the general population believes in a cover up of potential conflicts of interests by the Institutions. The belief in the autism-vaccination link was also positively related to the parenthood of an autistic child (OR:5.78, 95%CI: 2.36 to 14.12). We conclude that, against scientific evidence, information source and emotional involvement are major influencers of the misperception in the vaccine-autism paradigm, potentially fuelling the resurgence of vaccinepreventable diseases with major public health consequences.
Association of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 2003
Objective: To systematically review the evidence for and against the existence of an association between autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Study Design: We conducted a systematic review of the medical literature to identify all controlled epidemiological articles examining for an association between ASD and the MMR vaccine. We extracted data from the articles on the characteristics and objectives of the study as well as evidence of an association. Results: Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. One study found no difference in the rates of ASD and the MMR vaccine in children who were vaccinated and those who were not. Six studies examined for evidence of an increase in ASD associated with an increase in the MMR vaccine coverage, none of which showed evidence of an association. Four studies examined if a variant form of ASD was associated with the MMR vaccine, none of which showed evidence of an association. Eight studies attempted to determine if there was a temporal association between developing ASD and receiving the MMR vaccine. Of these, 1 study identified an increase in parental concern in the 6-month period following vaccination with MMR in one of its analyses. The results of all other studies showed no association between ASD and the MMR vaccine. Conclusions: The current literature does not suggest an association between ASD and the MMR vaccine; however, limited epidemiological evidence exists to rule out a link between a rare variant form of ASD and the MMR vaccine. Given the real risks of not vaccinating and that the risks and existence of variant ASD remain theoretical, current policies should continue to advocate the use of the MMR vaccine.
JAMA, 2015
Despite research showing no link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), beliefs that the vaccine causes autism persist, leading to lower vaccination levels. Parents who already have a child with ASD may be especially wary of vaccinations. To report ASD occurrence by MMR vaccine status in a large sample of US children who have older siblings with and without ASD. A retrospective cohort study using an administrative claims database associated with a large commercial health plan. Participants included children continuously enrolled in the health plan from birth to at least 5 years of age during 2001-2012 who also had an older sibling continuously enrolled for at least 6 months between 1997 and 2012. MMR vaccine receipt (0, 1, 2 doses) between birth and 5 years of age. ASD status defined as 2 claims with a diagnosis code in any position for autistic disorder or other specified pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) including Asperger syndrom...
Short report: Perceptions of causes and common beliefs of autism spectrum disorder in the U.S
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2020
A preliminary assessment of public perceptions about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was conducted across the United States using Mechanical Turk, an online recruitment tool for collecting data anonymously. Participants completed a survey about their beliefs regarding causes, treatments, and general views of ASD. For example, when asked what causes ASD, most participants reported hereditary and neurological factors. Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFAs) revealed two separate two-factor subscales for causes and general views about ASD. Findings revealed ethnic differences in participants' beliefs about Psychosocial Causes, Symptom Regulation Perceptions, and Common Beliefs. Participants that were diagnosed with or had a family member with ASD were more likely to attribute ASD to External Causes than those without those connections to ASD. Implications for policy and practice discuss how study findings might support the development of targeted ASD public awareness campaigns. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to be misunderstood among the general public, teachers, and parents (Fombonne, 2003). Misconceptions about the causes of ASD include early theories categorizing autism as "childhood schizophrenia," resulting from damaged child-mother relationships, to misinformation promoting vaccinations as a cause of ASD (Ruiz & Bell, 2014). Growing empirical evidence suggests that ASD is a developmental condition, likely with neurological and genetic origins (Sandin et al., 2014). Yet, a small, notable proportion of people believe that vaccinations are a leading cause of ASD (Mitchell & Locke, 2015). While several studies have focused on parental causal beliefs of ASD (see Hebert & Koulouglioti, 2010 for review), limited work has examined lay individuals' perceptions of ASD (