Vaccinating parents experience vaccine anxiety too

Keywords

children, immunization, parenting, vaccination

Abstract

Purpose: To identify common causes of parental anxiety regarding childhood vaccinations among parents who vaccinate. Another purpose was to seek recommendations for healthcare providers to help parents overcome their anxiety when their children are immunized.

Data sources: Four 1‐h focus groups were conducted, each consisting of 8–10 parents. Each focus group discussion was conducted by a moderator and an assistant moderator. The moderator facilitated discussion while the assistant moderator took notes. Each session was recorded on video. The data were transcribed and analyzed for themes.

Conclusions: Parents identifying themselves as being compliant with childhood vaccination requirements reported anxiety that can be divided into five major themes: parental anxiety prior to vaccination, parental anxiety during the vaccination, parental anxiety after the vaccination, parental suggestions for healthcare providers, and informational issues.

Implications for practice: Making minor changes in office policies may help alleviate some parental anxiety regarding vaccinations. Providers should also create lists of credible sources about vaccination information. Because the cause of vaccine‐related parental anxiety varies, targeted education is necessary to relieve common causes of vaccine anxiety, even among parents who vaccinate.

Original Publication Citation

Luthy, K. E., Beckstrand, R. L., Asay, W.*, & Hewett, C. J.*(2013). Vaccinating parents experience vaccine anxiety too. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 25(12), 667-673.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2013-06-17

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7977

Publisher

Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners

Language

English

College

Nursing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Link to Full Text

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