Coping With Outbreaks: Towards an Infectious Disease Threat (IDT) Appraisal Model for Risk Communication

• In Event: Theory and Research in Health Crisis Communication

Abstract

Through an online, nationally representative survey of 1,164 participants, this study examined how individuals perceive and cope with the threat of infectious disease outbreaks, in order to inform risk and crisis communications strategies for health organizations. This study explored how individuals’ threat appraisals (perceived controllability, perceived predictability, and perceived responsibility) and their cognitive (i.e., information seeking) and conative coping (i.e., protective actions) differ by infectious disease threat type (i.e. airborne, bloodborne, foodborne, sexually transmitted, waterborne, or zoonotic/vectorborne) in epidemic situations. Findings revealed that IDT types varied significantly based on individuals’ appraisals of predictability, controllability, and responsibility for different disease types. Across all disease types, however, predictability appeared to be the most impactful factor related to participants’ information seeking and planned protective action taking.

Authors

• Lucinda L. Austin, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Yan Jin, U of Georgia

• Brooke Fisher Liu, U of Maryland

• Seoyeon Kim, UNC