An Exploration of the Experiences of Adults that were Raised without Routine Childhood Vaccinations

Abstract

This thesis explores the experiences of adults raised without routine childhood vaccinations. This is a highly contentious topic and despite the substantial number of children that are raised in this way, there is a paucity of literature exploring this group of people and the outcomes of such health care decisions. This study's theoretical framework is constructed from a phenomenological perspective. A phenomenological methodology guiding this study allowed the researcher to hear the participants' voices as they had experienced this phenomenon. Using a mixed method of data collection enabled the researcher to gain a breadth and depth of the phenomenon in question. Sixty-seven participants completed the open-ended online survey questionnaire and thirteen participants participated in the in-depth interviews. The data was collected from the survey questionnaire, which then informed the in-depth interviews that followed. Participants were found to have a high regard for their health and displayed proactive health conscious behaviours. A high level of contentment was found amongst participants in regards to the vaccine decision that was made on their behalf, with a great majority of participants found to have made the same non-vaccination decision for their own children. This thesis revealed the existence of a significant gap between the lived experience of individual's and the vaccine imperative placed upon the populace. Contributing to the literature, this study gleaned intergenerational insights, directly related to asking participants about vaccine decision-making regarding their own children. In addition, the project elucidated the way in which participants navigated between heterodox and orthodox medicine, in an attempt to meet their health care needs and preferences.