Guarding against threatening HIV prevention messages: an information-processing model.
Previous research has suggested that fear-provoking HIV prevention messages can lead to defensive coping strategies among sexually active students who encounter such messages. An information-processing model of defensive responses is proposed that identifies and operationally defines four mediating processes--attention avoidance, blunting, suppression, and counterargumentation--that may lead to the rejection or denial of threatening health messages. Attention avoidance occurs when people indiscriminately avoid all messages; blunting is the use of distraction to avoid only threatening information in the message. Suppression occurs when people try to stop thinking about the information and avoid forming inferences about its self-relevance; counterargumentation is the biased assessment that follows comprehension and arises along with self-relevant elaboration. Situational influences on people's choice of defensive coping strategy are considered, and implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.
Blumberg
S J
SJ
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782, USA. SBlumberg@cdc.gov
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003717:Denial, Psychological; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D011287:Prejudice; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012736:Sex Education / Q000379:methods; D012725:Sexual Behavior