In Her Words

This work examines young women¿s decision-making experiences related to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Using a narrative research approach, five young women were asked to share their stories of how they came to be or not be vaccinated. Participant narratives reveal a number of themes that capture the diversity of young women¿s experiences and point to the complex ways in which individuals often negotiate decisions regarding vaccination. In her work, the author takes a critical stance on the topic of HPV vaccine decision-making in order to illuminate how young women¿s decisions are embedded within broader social and discursive contexts. This critical approach to understanding participant narratives is informed by a strong sensitivity to conceptual frames of medicalization, healthism, and neo-medicalization and dominant discourses related to health risk and individual responsibility.