TITLE:
Parental Influence on Adolescent Covid-19 Vaccination Opinions
AUTHORS:
Grace R. Qian, Adeline Ding
KEYWORDS:
Covid-19, Vaccination, Parental Influence, Adolescent Opinions
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.4,
April
19,
2023
ABSTRACT: The heavy politicization of
the Covid-19 pandemic has caused widespread Covid-19 vaccine skepticism and
presents a major public health challenge. While previous studies have found
that vaccine hesitancy for adults is correlated with many factors such as political
affiliations, research on adolescent vaccination opinions and formation of
their beliefs is comparatively limited. Though most states require parental
consent for minor/adolescent vaccination,
some areas of the country have begun allowing teenagers to autonomously
receive vaccinations. Here, we investigate whether parental opinions of the Covid-19
vaccines have strong influence on teenagers’ views. An anonymous online survey
was given to students in 9th through 12th grade classes at Madison West High
School in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Data analysis of survey responses showed
that parents are the major source of healthcare and vaccination information for
adolescents. Additionally, parents/guardians can influence the beliefs of their children when trust and communication are present in the relationship. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the strong
influence from parents in the formation of their adolescents’ vaccine opinions
and suggest the importance of positive communication in supporting influential
interactions between parent and child.