Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | Attitudes towards vaccines among parents of children with autism disorder |
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| Contribution code | D1.031 |
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| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Aims: Among parents of children оn the Autism Spectrum there is an increased tendency to support false and disproven by scientific community beliefs about the effect of vaccines and their contribution to the development of ASD. This is often a consequence of the fact that most of the mandatory vaccination in Bulgaria occurs around the time of initial ASD diagnosis. It is also believed that false assumptions about vaccines correlate with the educational status of the parent. We aimed to investigate the attitudes and beliefs toward vaccination among Bulgarian parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Factors influencing parental decisions in this regard (parents’ education level, ethnicity, family history of somatic and mental diseases) were also studied. Methods: We surveyed 225 parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). We then performed a comparative analysis between parents of children with a diagnosis of ASD versus parents of children with other NDD. Results and conclusions: We found that parents in the ASD group tend to support stronger anti-vaccination attitude. Greatest discrepancies are observed in regard to trust in vaccination practices. Parents’ education level was identified as the most significant factor influencing decision making about vaccination. We were able to objectify the assumption, that parents of children with ASD distrust vaccines more strongly than parents of children with other mental diseases. We believe trust in vaccines and their potential to prevent dangerous infectious diseases should be further supported by medical education campaigns on a national level. |