Examining Mechanisms Underlying Fear-Control in the Extended Parallel Process Model

Abstract

This investigation sought to advance the extended parallel process model in important ways by testing associations among the strengths of efficacy and threat appeals with fear as well as two outcomes of fear-control processing, psychological reactance and message minimization. Within the context of print ads admonishing against noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and the fictitious Trepidosis virus, partial support was found for the additive model with no support for the multiplicative model. High efficacy appeals mitigated freedom threat perceptions across both contexts. Fear was positively associated with both freedom threat perceptions within the NIHL context and favorable attitudes for both NIHL and Trepidosis virus contexts. In line with psychological reactance theory, a freedom threat was positively associated with psychological reactance. Reactance, in turn, was positively associated with message minimization. The models supported reactance preceding message minimization across both message contexts. Both the theoretical and practical implications are discussed with an emphasis on future research opportunities within the fear-appeal literature.

The Effects of Agency Assignment and Reference Point on Responses to COVID-19 Messages

“…Given how any persuasive message has the potential to threaten perceived freedoms (Brehm, 1966), and how Quick et al (2018) found evidence that health threats associated with diseases are positively related to freedom threats, and thus likely to generate psychological reactance resulting in defensive message responses (such as counterarguing, source derogation, and boomerang effects), it stands to reason that SARS-CoV-2 messages communicating the risks of the disease and persuading people to take certain action should be expected to pose threats to perceived freedom and to induce psychological reactance along with its typical defensive responses. Thus, beyond health risk perceptions, the present study also examines several variables relevant to the restoration of threatened perceived freedoms; more specifically these include psychological reactance as indexed by perceived threat to freedom, anger, negative cognitions, counterarguing, source derogation, and behavioral intentions to perform recommended behaviors.…”

The Prediction of Colorectal Cancer Screening Based on the Extended Parallel Process Model: Moderating the Role of Health Literacy and Cancer-Related Empowerment

“…Interventions for disease prevention are designed based on theories of engagement in health behaviors. The extended parallel processing model is a main theory in health behavior change (5)(6)(7). The extended parallel processing model is based on the belief that when people are afraid of a threat, they take actions to reduce or control those unpleasant scenarios (7).…”

“…The extended parallel processing model is a main theory in health behavior change (5)(6)(7). The extended parallel processing model is based on the belief that when people are afraid of a threat, they take actions to reduce or control those unpleasant scenarios (7). In the extended parallel processing model, perceived susceptibility is an important motivating factor in many healthy behaviors and disease screening.…”

Distracted driving prevention: an analysis of recent UK campaigns

“…The findings are further evidence of a gap that exists between theory and practice in road safety campaigns (Cismaru, 2014;Ngondo and Klyueva, 2019). In light of the EPPM and empirical literature, the reliance on threat-based content is critical, as this is likely to impair fear appeal effectiveness (Shen and Coles, 2015;Brennan and Binney, 2010;Quick et al, 2018;Hastings et al, 2004;Aldoory and Bonzo, 2005). Although there is agreement in the literature about the benefits that explicit theory use has for message design in campaign practice, our results illustrate that the barriers to theory application seem to be omnipresent in practice.…”