Abstract
Introduction
This study examined what affects parents’ thoughts about vaccinating their children. We explored whether parents’ attitudes towards the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and their perception of control of COVID-19 were related to their thoughts about vaccinating their children.
Methods
The sample of this descriptive study consisted of parents (n = 274) with children between the ages of 0–12. To collect data on parents’ thoughts and opinions participants completed the Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccine Scale and the Perception of Control of COVID-19 Scale.
Results
Parents’ thoughts about having their children vaccinated were related to a number of children, gender, education status, employment status, death of a relative due to COVID-19, and fear of taking their child to a hospital due to fear of COVID-19. There was a statistically significant relationship between the parents’ thought of vaccinating their children against COVID-19 and the mean scores of the Attitudes Toward the COVID-19 Vaccine Scale and the Perception of Control of COVID-19 Scale.
Conclusion
It was surprising that parents with a high education level and working parents had negative thoughts about getting their children vaccinated against COVID-19. In addition, parents’ attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine and their perceptions of COVID-19 control were related to parents’ thoughts on getting their children vaccinated.