The deleterious effects of treatability information regarding preventable illnesses:An experimental test

We examined the interactive role of treatability information on the motivation to engage in preventive health behavior after exposure to a threatening health communication. We predicted a three-way (treatability × susceptibility × family history of skin cancer) interaction such that in individuals with a family history of skin cancer, exposure to a message that communicates high susceptibility to skin cancer but makes salient that such cancer is highly treatable reduces their intention to engage in the preventive health behavior. We also predicted a three-way (treatability × susceptibility × self-efficacy) interaction such that when individuals are low in self-efficacy with regard to skin cancer, exposure to a message that communicates high susceptibility and high treatability decreases their intention to engage in the preventive health behavior. Finally, 335 participants took part in the experiment which includes 2(high treatability versus low treatability) × 2(high susceptibility versus low susceptibility) design with a hanging control group. Analyses revealed a two-way interaction between treatability and susceptibility information whereby high treatability and high susceptibility decreased the intention to engage in preventive health behavior. There was another two-way interaction between treatability information and family history of skin cancer whereby high treatability reduced the intention in participants with family history of skin cancer. Self-efficacy also interacted with treatability information such that when self-efficacy was low, high treatability decreased the intention to engage in the preventive health behavior. The findings suggest that under certain conditions treatability information may reduce the persuasive impact of a threatening communication