Defiance and low trust in medical doctors related to vaccine scepticism

Controlling parents can cause a defiant attitude in their children.

\https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/uot-dal082020.php

News Release 20-Aug-2020
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.

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