VACCINE HESITATION AND EMOTIONS

Abstract

Although vaccines have been recognized as the most powerful tool of modern medicine, especially in the promotion of public health, they have also created opponents since the first vaccine was introduced. Nowadays, it is seen that negative perceptions and attitudes towards vaccines are becoming increasingly widespread and this situation poses a significant risk for most medical actors. The study focuses on data from a qualitative study conducted in Istanbul in 2023 to explore the reasons for these negative attitudes, focusing on the emotions that shape and nurture these perceptions and attitudes. Emotions form a part of all kinds of social relationships and experiences and play an important role in shaping attitudes thanks to their power to influence and be influenced. Likewise, it is one of the factors that determine people's thoughts and attitudes about vaccination, and it also causes them to spread to others through contamination. The study looks at feelings about both childhood and Covid-19 vaccines, thus arguing that anti-vaccine attitudes can vary according to circumstances, time, and context.

Keywords

• Vaccine hesitancy
• anti-vaccination
• emotions
• emotional contagion

AŞI TEREDDÜDÜ VE DUYGULAR

Öz

Aşılar modern tıbbın, özellikle halk sağlığının geliştirilmesinde en güçlü aracı olarak anılmaktaysa da ilk aşı uygulamasından bu yana karşıtlarını da yaratmıştır. Günümüzde ise aşılara karşı olumsuz algı ve tutumların giderek yaygınlaştığı ve bu durum tıp aktörlerinin çoğu tarafından önemli bir risk olarak görülmektedir. Bu çalışma bu olumsuz tavırların nedenlerini ortaya koymaya çalışan ve 2023 yılında İstanbul’da gerçekleştirilen nitel bir araştırmanın verilerinden yararlanarak söz konusu algı ve tutumları şekillendiren ve besleyen duygulara odaklanmaktadır. Duygular her türlü sosyal ilişki ve deneyimin bir parçasını oluşturmakta, etkileme ve etkilenme gücü sayesinde tutumların şekillenmesinde önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Aynı şekilde aşı konusunda da kişilerin düşünce ve tavırlarını belirleyen etkenlerden biri olduğu gibi bulaşma yoluyla bunların diğerlerine yayılmasına da yol açmaktadır. Çalışma hem çocukluk çağı hem de Covid-19 aşılarıyla ilgili duygulara bakmakta böylece anti-aşı tutumlarının koşullara, zamana ve bağlama göre değişiklik gösterebildiğini savunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Aşı tereddüdü
• aşı karşıtlığı
• duygular
• duygusal bulaşma

Kaynakça

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