Parental Confidence in Childhood Vaccines and Their Association with the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the vaccine confidence levels of parents with children aged 0-5 years and their attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), as well as to investigate the relationship between these attitudes and sociodemographic variables.Materials and Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted with 273 parents at a pediatric outpatient clinic in eastern Turkey between December 2024 and February 2025. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic Information Form, the Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire, and the Vaccine Confidence Scale. Data were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlation tests. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.Results: The median VCS and HCAMQ scores were 53 and 27, respectively. No significant correlation was found between the two scales (p > 0.05). HCAMQ scores were significantly higher in parents aged ≥ 35, those with secondary education or below, and those with ≥ 3 children (p<0.05), while lower in those with income less than expenses (p = 0.003). VCS scores were significantly higher in district residents and those with secondary education or below (p<0.05), and significantly lower in parents whose income was equal to their expenses (p = 0.015).Conclusion: Contrary to the existing literature, this study found a decoupling between vaccine trust and interest in CAM, suggesting that in this sociocultural context, natural treatments are seen as complementary, not opposed, to vaccination. While no direct correlation was observed between these two areas, parents' health decisions continue to be shaped by sociodemographic determinants such as age, education, and income level.