title: Sex, germs, and health: pathogen-avoidance motives and health-protective behaviour.
abstract: Recent work suggests that the psychology of pathogen-avoidance has wide-reaching effects on how people interact with the world. These processes - part of what has been referred to as the behavioural immune system - are, in a way, our 'evolved' health psychology. However, scholars have scarcely investigated how the behavioural immune system relates to health-protective behaviours. The current research attempts to fill this gap.
  
  
  
  Across two cross-sectional studies (N = 386 and 470, respectively), we examined the relationship between pathogen-avoidance motives and health-protective behaviour.
  
  
  
  The studies used self-reported measures of attitude and intention as indicators of health-protective behaviour.
  
  
  
  Data collected in Study 1 revealed that pathogen-avoidance motivation related to participants' attitude and intention towards sexually transmitted infections screening. High levels of pathogen-avoidance motivation were also related to having had fewer sexual partners, which partially mediated the effect of pathogen-avoidance variables on testing motivation. Study 2 extended these findings by showing moderate associations between pathogen-avoidance motivation and a broad range of health-protective behaviours, including but not limited to pathogen-related health concerns.
  
  
  
  We argue that understanding and targeting pathogen-avoidance psychology can add novel and important understanding of health-protective behaviour.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Work and Social Psychology , Maastricht University , Maastricht , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Stefan L K
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Gruijters
authors.affiliation: b Department of Social and Organizational Psychology , VU University Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joshua M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tybur
authors.affiliation: a Department of Work and Social Psychology , Maastricht University , Maastricht , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robert A C
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ruiter
authors.affiliation: a Department of Work and Social Psychology , Maastricht University , Maastricht , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Karlijn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Massar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology; D009042:Motivation; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: STI screening; behavioural immune system; health-protective behaviour; pathogen disgust; pathogen-avoidance; sexual health