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

Background: 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 which also make salient that such cancer is highly treatable reduces their intention to engage in preventive health behavior. We also predicted a three-way (treatability × susceptibility × self-efficacy) interaction such that when individuals are low in self-efficacy, exposure to a message that communicates high susceptibility and high treatability decreases their intention to engage in preventive health behavior. Methods: 335 participants were randomly assigned into groups in an experiment which includes 2(high treatability information versus low treatability information) × 2(high susceptibility information versus low susceptibility information) design with a hanging control group. Findings: Analyses revealed a two-way interaction whereby high treatability and high susceptibility information decreased the intention to engage in preventive health behavior. There was also a two-way interaction whereby high treatability information reduced the preventive health intention in participants with family history of skin cancer. Finally, self-efficacy also interacted with treatability information, such that when self-efficacy was low, exposure to high treatability information also decreased the intention to engage in the preventive health behavior. Discussion: The findings suggest that under certain conditions treatability information may actually reduce the persuasive impact of a threatening communication.