Monkeypox outbreak: Psychological distance, risk perception, and support for risk mitigation.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health Communication
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Construal level theory explains how psychological distance influences judgment and decision-making.
• Understanding public perception of health risks is crucial for effective crisis communication.
• The monkeypox outbreak presented unique challenges for public health messaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the indirect effects of social and temporal distance on emotional response, policy support, and vaccination intention related to the monkeypox outbreak.
• To investigate the role of risk perception as a mediator in these relationships.
• To identify factors influencing the perceived psychological distance of the monkeypox outbreak, such as social dominance orientation.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1000 U.S. adults.
• Construal level theory principles were applied to analyze the data.
• Statistical analyses were used to determine indirect effects and mediating roles of risk perception.

Main Results:

• Perceived social and temporal distance indirectly influenced emotional response, policy support, and vaccination intention through risk perception.
• Social dominance orientation was found to contribute to the perceived psychological distance of the monkeypox outbreak.
• Risk perception significantly mediated the relationship between psychological distance and public response.

Conclusions:

• Public health crisis communication, particularly for outbreaks like monkeypox, should highlight the wider community implications.
• Messaging should aim to reduce perceived psychological distance by emphasizing shared risks and impacts.
• Interventions targeting social dominance orientation may be necessary to improve public engagement with health recommendations.