‘Leaps of Faith’ and MMR: An Empirical Study of Trust

Abstract

Möllering has argued for sociological research on trust that pays attention to the ‘fine details of interpretation’ and begins from the perspectives of those engaged in relations of trust. In this article we explore what it would mean to take up Möllering’s challenge to explore the interpretative elements of trust and the ‘leaps of faith’ trusting entails.We do this through an empirical study of parental and professional talk about the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination. We examine trust as operating in a number of interrelated ways: as a practice based on knowledge; as a ‘leap of faith’ experienced through relationality and familiarity; as working at a system level; and as shaped by relations of governance and by anxieties to do with the nature of social and technological change. Through this analysis, we suggest how an interpretive approach to thinking about trust is a worthwhile exercise.

Vaccine Rejecting Parents’ Engagement With Expert Systems That Inform Vaccination Programs

“…This finding echoes those of a number of other studies (Sobo 2015;Benin et al 2006;Brownlie and Howson 2005). The parents we interviewed saw the pharmaceutical industry as exerting a wide-ranging influence on vaccination research, the motives of health professionals, and the construction of government policy consensus.…”

“…Accordingly, parents choose "what" or "whom" they view as the expert system and, placing trust in that system, make the decision to vaccinate or not (Brownlie and Howson 2005). It is here that we can start to see the relationship between distrust in the dominant expert system and vaccine refusal.…”

“…When engaging with conflicting material it can be impossible to know the quality of the evidence chosen by those who assert knowledge. Brownlie and Howson (2005) argue that "when parents are identifying good reasons to either vaccinate or not, they are acting as bricoleurs, piecing together different knowledges" (226), a troublesome process because there are "good reasons" on both sides of the argument (224). In addition, current research identifies the role of social relationships and identities in vaccination decision-making, emphasizing that refusal is not simply a rejection of an offered benefit, but rather a process through which parents navigate social norms and articulate social inclusion and exclusion in relation to those around them (Sobo 2016).…”

Vaccine hesitancy

“…46 Indeed, Brownlie and Howson provide a reliable definition of trust as "a complex relational practice happening within particular socio-political context." 146 After in-depth analysis of focus group data on trust and MMR vaccination, they conclude that trust is not only based on knowledge, but also on a "leap of faith a" that could only be possible because parents have a relationship with health professionals based on familiarity.…”

Προσεγγισεις Της Εμπιστοσυνης Στην Κοινωνιολογια Της Υγειας

“…Τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες, η εμπιστοσύνη έχει αποτελέσει ζήτημα στο οποίο έχουν στρέ ψει την προσοχή τους πολλοί μελετητές της φροντίδας υγείας και έχουν αρχίσει να προβάλλονται ορισμοί, αναλύσεις, αλλά και να διεξάγονται εμπειρικές έρευνες (βλ. ενδεικτικά, Lohns, 1996* Wilson et al, 1998* Brownlie and Howson, 2005* Thiede, 2005* Entwistle and Quick, 2006. Σε πολλές χώρες, παράλληλο ενδιαφέρον για το ρόλο της εμπιστοσύνης έχουν επιδείξει οι κυβερνήσεις και οι σχε διαστές πολιτικής, το κοινό και τα MME.…”