Threat, efficacy, and the ambivalent role of COVID-19 news: an EPPM analysis of health discrimination and preventive behaviors

Key findings from this study

This research indicates that:

• Perceived threat in COVID-19 news increased fear, preventive measure compliance, and health discrimination simultaneously.
• Perceived efficacy moderated threat effects by suppressing fear-driven discrimination while enhancing fear-driven compliance.
• News messaging combining threat and efficacy cues produced superior public health outcomes compared to threat-dominant framing.

Overview

This study examines how COVID-19 news media influence fear, preventive behavior compliance, and health discrimination in a Chinese population. The research applies the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) to evaluate interactions between perceived threat and perceived efficacy in news messaging. The analysis encompasses 598 participants and focuses on psychological and social outcomes during pandemic prevention efforts.

Methods and approach

Researchers collected cross-sectional survey data from 598 participants. The Extended Parallel Process Model provided the theoretical framework for analyzing associations between perceived threat in news, perceived efficacy in news, fear, preventive measure compliance, and health discrimination outcomes. The model permits examination of interaction effects between threat and efficacy variables.

Results

Perceived threat in news messaging demonstrated significant positive associations with fear, compliance with preventive measures, and health discrimination. Perceived efficacy moderated these relationships substantially. Under high perceived efficacy conditions, the pathway from fear to health discrimination diminished significantly, while the promotion of preventive measure compliance strengthened. Under low perceived efficacy conditions, threat-induced fear more readily translated into discriminatory attitudes and behaviors.

The findings demonstrate that efficacy perception functions as a critical moderator rather than a direct predictor. When news conveyed both threat information and effective response options, recipients exhibited greater compliance motivation without proportional increases in discriminatory outcomes. Conversely, threat messaging absent efficacy cues amplified both fear and discrimination simultaneously.

Implications

The results indicate that media health communication requires careful calibration of threat and efficacy messaging during public health emergencies. News outlets and health authorities should present factual threat information alongside concrete, achievable preventive measures to maximize beneficial behavioral outcomes. Unbalanced threat-heavy messaging risks generating psychological distress and social harm without corresponding protective benefits.

These findings suggest practical guidance for crisis communication strategy. Public health agencies should collaborate with media organizations to ensure efficacy cues accompany threat information. This approach addresses a fundamental tension in health communication: threat alone motivates fear and discrimination, while efficacy information channels that arousal toward constructive prevention rather than stigmatization. Future interventions might target news producers' framing decisions directly.

Scope and limitations

This summary is based on the study abstract and available metadata. It does not include a full analysis of the complete paper, supplementary materials, or underlying datasets unless explicitly stated. Findings should be interpreted in the context of the original publication.