ABSTRACT
The chapter begins by a monologue depicting a husband placing trust in a physician and the medical system to ensure the health of his wife. The chapter covers a magazine article about trust in health care in the United States to reveal the multilevelled nature of trust beliefs in health care. The chapter includes research indicating that generalized trust beliefs, and trust beliefs in marriage partners, contribute to physical health and (for the former) decreases mortality. The chapter includes research demonstrating that individuals’ trust beliefs in physicians contribute to adherence to prescribed medical regimes and health. The chapter culminates in a discussion of the potential contribution of trust beliefs and other factors to adults’ refusal to vaccinate themselves or their children against serious illnesses.
