Cortisol. What Can Storytelling do? 6/7/2018. Stories, Vaccines, and Our Children. Karen Ernst, Voices for Vaccines

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1 Stories, Vaccines, and Our Children Karen Ernst, Voices for Vaccines What Can Storytelling do? Story telling affects three main chemicals in the brain to aid in remembering facts and details Cortisol Descriptions of danger get our attention 1

2 Dopamine Rewards us (with pleasure) for sticking with the emotional charge of a narrative Oxytocin You just identified with the protagonist! Here s some prosocial, feel good chemicals for your brain. Coming up: Lots of data to prove my point. 2

3 When do parents make vaccine decisions? Storytelling can be a means to build trust Begin sharing stories about vaccines/infectious diseases with young adults before they try to conceive Accepting Delaying Refusing Decided before conception Re-evaluated decision Trust doctor about vaccines Glanz, J. M., Wagner, N. M., Narwaney, K. J., Shoup, J. A., McClure, D. L., McCormick, E. V., & Daley, M. F. (2013). A Mixed Methods Study of Parental Vaccine Decision Making and Parent-Provider Trust. Academic Pediatrics, 13(5), How do parents decide? Parents vaccinating on-schedule 13% Parents delaying vaccines or foregoing some or all vaccines 28% 87% 72% People network advising to follow schedule People network advising to disregard schedule The Impact of Social Networks on Parents Vaccination Decisions Emily K. Brunson Pediatrics peds ; published ahead of print April 15, 2013, doi: /peds Sing in me Muse Providers can form connections with patients through the emotional pull of the story 3

4 Growing Up Unvaccinated As healthy as my lifestyle seemed, I contracted measles, mumps, rubella, a type of viral meningitis, scarlatina, whooping cough, yearly tonsillitis, and chickenpox, some of which are vaccine preventable. In my twenties I got precancerous HPV and spent 6 months of my life wondering how I was going to tell my two children under the age of 7 that mummy might have cancer before it was safely removed. I was Duped by the Anti- Vax Movement The cult-like world of vaccine refusal had grabbed me by the throat and taken me for a ride. Between the CDC, PubMed, and even other accounts on Voices for Vaccines such as Megan s Leaving The Anti-Vaccine Movement and Amy s Growing Up Un- Vaccinated I was convinced: Vaccinations were safe and effective, and it was my responsibility to Ramona to vaccinate her. A Mother I Never Met Changed My Mind About Vaccines I was anti-vax, but I was also a mother whose heart broke for another mother in pain. Watching that newborn choke and wheeze and cough sparked something in me doubt. That spark spread like wildfire. 4

5 Understanding VPDs Highlighting factual information about the dangers of communicable diseases can positively impact people s attitudes to vaccination. This method outperformed alternative interventions aimed at undercutting vaccination myths. Countering antivaccination attitudes Zachary Horne, Derek Powell, John E. Hummel, Keith J. Holyoak Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Aug 2015, 112 (33) ; DOI: /pnas Emerging From the Herd Then our whole family contracted rotavirus late in the winter. It was a nightmare. It was horrible to see my daughters hunched over on the toilet, crying from the painful cramping that lasted a week after the acute illness. Once I realized what we all had, and that it could have been prevented with a vaccine, a spark of doubt began to grow. Not Just a Harmless Childhood Disease A few hours later, my dad came to pick me up and take me home. That s when my parents told me that Laura hadn t been breathing when my mom went to wake her up from her nap. My little sister had passed away in her sleep. A year later, the varicella vaccine was introduced. 5

6 You Can t Handle the Truth It is easier for the world to accept a simple lie than a complex truth Alexis de Tocqueville What We Didn't Miss, Thanks to the Flu Vaccine My older child and I never got sick, and the illness was short-lived for both my husband and my pre-schooler. For half of us, the vaccine completely prevented influenza even though we had very close, prolonged contact with the virus. For the other half of us, the vaccine seemed to mitigate the severity of the illness during a year when influenza seemed particularly virulent and claimed the lives of 171 children. By the time the graduation ceremony took place at the end of the week, we were all fever-free and well enough to attend. Why Measles Outbreaks Terrify Me But then I read that there is a case of measles in my state, Illinois. Now, I am very worried. You see, my son Ben had a heart transplant three years ago. Due to his heart transplant he is on 2 immunosuppressants so that he does not reject his heart. Because of these immunosuppressants, he not only cannot fight off measles as well as his healthy older sisters, but he also cannot receive the MMR vaccine. In fact, he is unable to receive any live vaccines. So, he relies on herd immunity. 6

7 Building Your Vaccine Card Catalog Everyone has a story; the air is full of stories Isabel Allende I was Witness to a Miracle Dr. Bob Jacobson s story about the difference the Hib vaccine has made. Vaccines and Autism: One Doctor s Personal Story As my sister grew, additional developmental milestones of speech, motor ability, eye contact and social interaction were all delayed. She could not process new information or stressful environments without tantrums. She developed repetitive behaviors and speech, and it gradually became clear to her family and to her physicians that her primary problem was related to an emerging set of diagnoses called the autism spectrum disorders. 7

8 We Should Talk Karen Ernst What s Your Story Share it with us! 8