Most college students have never been tested for HIV, even though they regularly have unprotected sex and multiple sex partners. Theory-based research addressing factors influencing HIV testing among college students is limited. This study explored this topic via a conceptual framework that integrates the health belief model with emotion and communication factors. Data was collected with a sample of four focus group panels, including two male and two female groups (N = 52). Transcripts for the seven discussion questions were produced based on the audio recordings of group sessions. Two research assistants reviewed, summarized and cross-validated the discussion content to address each of the four research questions under study. Students believe HIV to be a severe health threat, but feel ‘invincible’ about contracting the virus. Their low emotional self-efficacy is a barrier for adopting HIV testing. Gaining social approval and emotional support for making a testing decision can help them overcome the perceived fear, stigma and lack of response efficacy associated with taking the test. Students are open to receiving cues to action via confidential HIV-testing related communication from health professionals or important others as well as media messaging from various sources. Bridging the perceptual-emotional gap between perceived invulnerability and fear can help increase emotional self-efficacy in coping with HIV testing. Normalizing HIV testing as a primary care routine for harm avoidance/reduction will increase perceived benefits of testing. Communicating cues to action will help reinforce HIV testing as a societally approved and socially supported protective behavioral norm.

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This exploratory study examines the emotional responses toward non-player characters (NPCs) when challenged with an in-game moral decision (i.e. justified versus unjustified killing) and when exposed to game statistics on whether their moral choice aligned with the majority public. Using Buck et al.’s (2014) social and moral emotions (SAME) scale, participants (n = 301) completed an online experiment measuring their primary social emotions after being presented with a written scenario and screenshots from a popular video game that required participants to make a moral decision. Findings provide overall support for the interdependent connections in primary social emotions and revealed that embarrassment and shame were higher towards the NPC in the unjustified choice. Study results provide practical health implications for video game developers to develop and design more elaborate narrative paths that delve into the ethical tendencies of video game players.

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