Dr. Robin Kochel's interest in parental concerns about a link between vaccines and autism was born as a result of her research on both parent perceptions and developmental regression. Specifically, her studies have consistently found that parents who report skill loss in their children are more likely to endorse vaccines as a cause for ASD. Fears about an ASD-vaccine link have led to an increasing number of vaccine delays and refusals that increase risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, making this a significant public health problem. She is particularly interested in the dynamics of vaccine acceptance and hesitance, as well as how beliefs about an autism-vaccine link are transmitted through social networks.
Related Publications
See the following articles for more information about this program of research:
Goin-Kochel, R.P., Fombonne, E., Minard, C.G., Mire, S.S., Sahni, L.C., Cunningham, R.M., Berry, L.N., & Boom, J.A. (September 2020). Beliefs about causes of autism and vaccine hesitancy among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Vaccine, 38(40), 6327-6333.
Chang, J. & Goin-Kochel, R.P. (July 25, 2020). Vaccine hesitancy and attributions for autism among racially and ethnically diverse groups of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research. Epub ahead of print: 10.1002/aur.2339.
Sahni, L.C., Boom, J.A., Mire, S.S., Berry, L.N., Dowell, L.R., Minard, C.G., Cunningham, R.M., & Goin-Kochel, R.P. (March 17, 2020). Vaccine hesitancy and illness perceptions: Comparing parents of children with autism spectrum disorder to other parent groups. Children’s Health Care. Epub ahead of print: doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2020.1740883
Fombonne, E., Goin-Kochel, R.P., & O’Roak, B.J. (January 2020). Beliefs in vaccine as causes of autism among SPARK cohort caregivers. Vaccine, 38(7), 1794-1803.
Goin-Kochel, R.P., Mire, S.S., Dempsey, A.G., Fein, R.H., Guffey, D., Minard, C.G., Cunningham, R.M., Sahni, L.C., & Boom, J.A. (March 2016). Parental report of vaccine receipt in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Do rates differ by pattern of ASD onset? Vaccine, 34(11), 1335-1342.