Coping with Outbreaks
Coping with Outbreaks
Overview: Through an online, nationally representative survey of 1,000 participants, this proposed project will examine how publics perceive and cope with the threat of infectious disease outbreaks, in order to information risk and crisis communications strategies for health organizations in times of infectious disease threat (IDT). This study will explore dimensions of threat appraisal, including how publics perceive the controllability (high v. low), predictability (high v. low), and responsibility (individual v. health organization) of different IDTs. In turn, publics’ cognitive (i.e., information seeking and sharing), affective (i.e., emotion expression), and conative coping strategies (i.e., protective actions) will be analyzed. Additionally, factors including literacy and efficacy will be examined for their influence.
Related Research
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Humor in Risk Communication: Theory & ApplicationsHye Jin Yoon, “Humor in Risk Communication: Theory & Applications,” invited talk at the Georgia Resiliency Conference, Jekyll Island, GA, October 21, 2025.
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Understanding Influenza Vaccination Attitudes and Behaviors: An Assessment of Health Decision-making PreferencesK-A. M. Anderson, Glen J. Nowak, Michael A. Cacciatore, P. Rohani, and J.M. Drake (accepted for publication), “Understanding Influenza Vaccination Attitudes and Behaviors: An Assessment of Health Decision-making Preferences,” Vaccine. […]