Does socio-economic status and health consciousness influence how women respond to health related messages in media?
During the past few decades, people have been increasingly exposed to health-related messages in the mass media, conveying recommendations for healthy lifestyles. The present study investigates whether these messages represent a stressor, and whether coping responses increase levels of motivation or levels of negative affect. A sample of 403 women aged 45 years were surveyed twice, at an interval of 4 weeks. A substantial proportion of the participants perceived the health messages to be stressful (increased levels of threat). Overall, the participants reported a greater use of adaptive than non-adaptive coping when exposed to the health messages. Socio-economic status (defined in educational terms) was negatively correlated with non-adaptive coping, while health consciousness was positively correlated with adaptive coping. Adaptive coping was positively related, and non-adaptive coping was negatively related, to intentions and behaviours. Non-adaptive coping was associated with stronger negative emotions. The results indicate that less-educated women tend to respond more non-adaptively to health messages than more-educated women; for the former group, this has negative consequences in terms of increased levels of negative emotions and decreased levels of motivation to engage in healthy behaviours.
Iversen
Anette Christine
AC
Department of Education Health Promotion, Research Centre for Health Promotion, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Christiesgate 13, 5015 Bergen, Norway. anette.iversen@psyhp.uib.no
Kraft
Pål
P
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D003243:Consciousness; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology