Clicking Health Risk Messages on Social Media: A Moderated Mediation Path through Perceived Message Features and Fear Arousal

• In Event: Effects of Social Media on Health Risk Perceptions and Healthy Behavior

Abstract

This study examined how fear appeal messages and individual coping styles combined to driving users’ intention to click health risk messages on social media. Two online experiments were conducted. Participants were recruited from Mturk and were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions (2 (high vs. low threat) X 2 (high vs. low efficacy message), while their risk perceptions, fear arousal, and coping styles were measured with a questionnaire. The results suggested that: (1) threat and efficacy message influenced intention to click via the mediating effect of perceived threat, perceived efficacy, and fear arousal; (2) blunting style used by the participant suppressed fear arousal’s ability in mobilizing intention-to-click; (3) monitoring style has a positive main effect on intention-to-click. The theoretical and practical implications for health risk message design were then discussed.

Authors

• Xueying Zhang, North Carolina A&T State University

• Shuhua Zhou, Missouri School of Journalism, U of Missouri