Encourage parent participation in HPV vaccination discussion

Krieger JL. Hum Comm Res. 2011;doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.2010.01395.x.

When it comes to vaccinations, Mother truly does know best, at least according to the results of a study appearing online.

Janice Krieger, PhD, and colleagues from Ohio State University reported that college-age women who talked to their mothers about the human papillomavirus vaccine were more likely than others to get vaccinated.

“Mothers talking to their daughters were an important factor in whether young women were vaccinated,” Krieger said in a press release. “It is an encouraging finding, because it shows that communication between mothers and daughters can be very helpful, even if it may be difficult.”

The researchers reported on a survey of 182 mother-daughter pairs. The daughters mailed a questionnaire about the HPV vaccine to their mothers and completed a similar questionnaire for themselves.

Overall, 137 of the mother-daughter pairs had talked about the HPV vaccine, whereas 45 pairs did not discuss the vaccine.

The key for daughters getting the vaccine was having mothers who discussed the HPV vaccine with their daughter and who reported believing that the vaccine was safe and effective.

Fears about HPV susceptibility and about the severity of HPV-caused illness on the parts of mothers or daughters were not related to whether they talked about the issue.

Krieger said encouraging dialogue between mothers and young women may be a motivator for vaccinations because the costs of the vaccines are $360 to $600, and young women may not have the money to purchase the HPV vaccine.

“Mothers may be afraid to bring up the topic, but it doesn’t have to be a conversation focused on sex. Mothers can talk about how the HPV vaccine is safe and effective and that it prevents cancer,” Krieger said. “If parents have the ability to pay for the vaccine, that could really help, as well.”

Disclosure: The researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.

It appears that just like for the younger teen, the acceptance of HPV vaccines is highly dependent upon the mother’s perception of effectiveness and safety for their daughters who are young adult women. Thus, during our office encounters, it becomes critically important to enlist the mother’s support whenever she is available, even though we often expect to see the daughter alone.

Physicians should remember not to ignore this important dyad in their discussions with the young adult woman. Having personally raised four young adult daughters (with my lovely wife) through the turbulent teenage years, I can attest to the dramatic positive change in the maternal-daughter relationship after age 17 years.

The authors also point out the importance of vaccine reimbursement, which is often precarious after age 18 years, for three doses of an expensive vaccine. Thus, this helps explain the vital role the pediatrician can play in nationwide HPV vaccination rates, because efficient handling of costs, payment and infrastructure is inherently his or her domain with the teen younger than 18 years.

— Stan Block
Infectious Diseases in Children Editorial Board

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