A Meta‐Analysis of Research on Protection Motivation Theory

Abstract

This article reports the first meta‐analysis of the literature on protection motivation theory (Rogers, 1975, 1983; Rogers & Prentice‐Dunn, 1997), a model of disease prevention and health promotion that has generated research for over two decades. The literature review included 65 relevant studies (N= approximately 30,000) that represented over 20 health issues. The mean overall effect size (d+= 0.52) was of moderate magnitude. In general, increases in threat severity, threat vulnerability, response efficacy, and self‐efficacy facilitated adaptive intentions or behaviors. Conversely, decreases in maladaptive response rewards and adaptive response costs increased adaptive intentions or behaviors. This held true whether the measures were based on intentions or behaviors, and suggests that PMT components may be useful for individual and community interventions.

Sexual Stigma, Sexual Behaviors, and Abstinence Among Vietnamese Adolescents: Implications for Risk and Protective Behaviors for HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Unwanted Pregnancy

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Communicating Climate Change: Closing the Science‐Action Gap

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Analysis of hepatitis B vaccination behavior and vaccination willingness among migrant workers from rural China based on protection motivation theory

“…27 The coping appraisal process evaluates an individual's ability to cope with and avert the threatened danger, including self-efficacy and response-efficacy. 28 Self-efficacy expectancy is the belief that one is, or is not, capable of performing a behavior 29 and response-efficacy refers to one's cognition about whether such actions work or not. Fig.…”

“…26 It is assumed that severity and susceptibility of the threat reduce adverse behavior reactions, while the effectiveness of the reaction and individual capacity enhance individual health behaviors. 28 Using Exploratory Factor Analysis method to build PMT factors…”