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Spontaneous reactions to health risk feedback: a network perspective

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Abstract

Research on the reception of health risk feedback has focused on the analysis of single, researcher-selected cognitive reactions. The full range of spontaneous reactions and their patterns have received little attention. The present paper explores content, interrelations, and adaptivity of spontaneous reactions to health risk feedback from a network perspective. Participants (n = 423) received blood pressure and cholesterol feedback and listed their thoughts afterwards. A network of reactions to health risk feedback was constructed from the responses. Emotions, risk feedback valence, future lifestyle, and expectedness emerged as strong and largely well-connected network nodes, while previously well-researched reactions like feedback acceptance formed small, less connected nodes. The majority of reaction patterns identified through the network appeared adaptive, even after negative feedback. The network provides a potentially useful tool for research and practice, highlighting previously neglected relevant reactions, and providing a group-level background against which individual reactions can be evaluated.

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Notes

  1. The cut-off for high blood pressure was chosen in consultation with faculty from the College of Medicine at Hanyang University in Korea.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant for Britta Renner and Ralf Schwarzer (Grant Re 1583/2-1). The study was part of the RACK-Project. Other participating investigators from the RACK study group include: Sunkyo Kwon, Hallym University; Byung-Hwan Yang, Hanyang University; Ki-Chung Paik, Dankook University. We would like to thank Freda-Marie Hartung, Marija Jaroslavskaja, Andries Oeberst, Youlia Spivak, and Dimitar Stoilov for their help in categorizing the responses and James Moon for translating the responses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jacobs Center for Lifelong Learning, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany

    Martina Panzer

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, P.O. Box 47, 78457, Konstanz, Germany

    Britta Renner

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  1. Martina Panzer
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  2. Britta Renner
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Correspondence to Britta Renner.

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Panzer, M., Renner, B. Spontaneous reactions to health risk feedback: a network perspective. J Behav Med 32, 317–327 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-009-9206-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-009-9206-7

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