PRISM and Emotions: Understanding the Role of Fear and Hope toward Vaccine Information Seeking Intentions.

Vaccines represent one of the greatest health efforts to help combat diseases, yet they often evoke emotional responses among individuals. These emotional responses can influence an individual's desire to seek information about vaccines. The purpose of this research was to examine these relationships further using the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM) and explore the role of emotions, specifically fear and hope, on vaccine-related information seeking intentions. Two separate models were tested using the PRISM model, one for fear and one for hope. Results suggest fear did not have a significant direct effect on vaccine information seeking, while hope had a positive and significant relationship. Interestingly, both attitude toward seeking and perceived current knowledge each had a positive relationship with information seeking intentions in the fear and hope models. Future research should continue to examine the role of specific emotions within the PRISM model to better predict information seeking intentions.

The influence of uncertainty and social support on information seeking concerning illicit stimulant use among young adults.

Using the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM) and the concept of desired informational support as a framework, this project examined factors in the information management process young adults employ in potential information seeking about illicit stimulant drug use with members of their social networks. One hundred and seventy-three individuals participated in the study. Results indicated that (a) uncertainty discrepancy and the desire for informational support covaried, and (b) uncertainty discrepancy, anxiety, and outcome expectancy had significant impacts on the efficacy judgments made by individuals with regard to potential information seeking with their social networks about their stimulant drug use. The study thus provides further evidence for the utility of TMIM as a framework for understanding health communication in regard to drug use, and suggests that desired informational support may be a useful addition to the model for this health issue.

Religiosity, anxiety, and discussions about organ donation: understanding a complex system of associations.

An increasingly large research base on religiosity has shown it to have a buffering effect on anxiety. In a separate vein, scholars interested in organ donation have suggested that both religiosity and anxiety play roles in individuals' willingness to seek information concerning their decisions about organ donations with their family-an event that greatly increases donation rates. This investigation presents 2 studies that examine the associations between religiosity and anxiety (variously measured), on the one hand, and anxiety and individual's information seeking behaviors with family members about organ donation on the other. The first study offers national samples and relies on self-reports, whereas the second study is one of the few organ donation studies to provide observer ratings of interaction between family members on the issue. Results suggest a more complicated role of religiosity with regard to anxiety than previously believed and show a consistent and robust association between anxiety and communication behaviors regarding organ donation. Implications for campaigns are discussed.