Health Information Seeking versus Avoiding: How Do College Students Respond to Stress-related Information?

Objectives: Given the prevalence of stress among young adults and its impact on overall health, it is important to understand how college students respond to stress and stress management messages and which factors influence subsequent health information engagement. Methods: In the current study, I used an experimental design to test whether the variables of risk percep tion, response efficacy, and source credibility can exert an impact on a convenient sample of undergraduate students at a large Midwestern public university in the health context of stress and stress management. Results: Both risk perception and response efficacy were positively associated with health information seeking and negatively associated with health information avoiding, but only risk perception had a strong and statistically significant influence on information engagement. I found no statistically significant interaction between risk perception and response efficacy or moderating effects of source credibility. Conclusions: This study provides empirical support for the claim that stress-related risk perception can influence young adults' information engagement significantly. Health communication strategists addressing the issue of stress among college students should consider eliciting risk perception.