Exploring the Sequencing Effects of Fear-Hope Appeals on Promoting MMR Vaccination

Area of Science:

• Health Communication
• Social Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Understanding emotional flow in persuasive messaging is crucial for public health campaigns.
• Fear appeals are common in health communication, but their effectiveness can depend on emotional sequencing.
• The dynamic interplay between fear and hope influences persuasion, particularly regarding vaccination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of emotional sequencing (fear → hope vs. hope → fear) in fear appeals on persuasion for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccination.
• To examine the mediating roles of fear and hope at different time points.
• To explore the moderating effect of issue relevance on the effectiveness of emotional sequencing.

Main Methods:

• An experiment with 386 participants was conducted using two video messages manipulating the sequence of fear and hope.
• Participants were exposed to either a fear → hope appeal or a hope → fear appeal.
• Activism intentions, mediating emotions (fear, hope), and issue relevance were measured.

Main Results:

• The fear → hope appeal significantly increased activism intentions more effectively than the hope → fear appeal.
• Fear and hope experienced at different time points acted as mediators for the observed persuasion effects.
• The effectiveness of the fear → hope appeal was contingent on issue relevance, showing greater impact among those who found the issue highly relevant.

Conclusions:

• Sequencing emotions in fear appeals, specifically a fear → hope approach, enhances persuasion for MMR vaccination activism.
• The dynamic interplay of fear and hope, mediated over time, is critical for message effectiveness.
• Health communicators should consider the role of issue relevance and strategic emotional sequencing for optimal campaign outcomes.