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Perceived susceptibility measures are not interchangeable: absolute, direct comparative, and indirect comparative
Krista W Ranby1, Leona S Aiken, Mary A Gerend
1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, AZ, USA. krista.ranby@duke.edu
Summary
Perceived susceptibility measures are not interchangeable and can lead to different conclusions about disease risk. Researchers should use caution with indirect comparative risk measures for accurate health assessments.
Area of Science:
- Health Psychology
- Risk Perception Research
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Perceived susceptibility is a key factor in health behavior, but measures are inconsistent.
- Existing measures of perceived susceptibility (absolute, direct comparative, indirect comparative risk) show variable relationships with disease risk factors.
- These inconsistencies may stem from how individuals process general versus personal risk information and how risk is computed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain inconsistencies in perceived susceptibility measures.
- To differentiate between general and personal risk factors in susceptibility judgments.
- To clarify the relationship between risk factors and different measures of perceived susceptibility.
Main Methods:
- Risk factors were categorized as general or personal.
- Adult women (N=579) rated their perceived susceptibility to major diseases (osteoporosis, breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes).
- Participants also rated risk factors and provided personal medical history.
Main Results:
- Correlational and regression analyses supported the proposed characterization of inconsistencies.
- Differential processing of general versus personal risk factors influences susceptibility judgments.
- The method of computing risk measures significantly impacts perceived susceptibility.
Conclusions:
- Perceived susceptibility measures are not interchangeable and can yield contradictory findings.
- Indirect comparative risk measures (difference scores) are not recommended due to potential for misleading conclusions.
- Researchers should employ methods that encourage consideration of others' risk for more robust comparative judgments.
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