Short summary

The purpose of this PhD-project is to investigate the potential role of life stress in influencing young people's cognitive, emotional, and behavioral risk reactions to viewing 'real-life' health risk information targeting to different types of threats: (a) type 2-diabetes, and (b) terrorism in Western Europe.

Rationale

Risk perception is the subjective assessment that people make about the characteristics and severity of a risk. In health risk perception research, life stress has so far figured mainly in terms of distress experienced as a consequence of health risk perception. Whether life stress is also relevant as an antecedent to health risk perception and other health risk reactions (risk acceptance, risk behaviour), and how such an effect would work, remains unknown.  This gap in our knowledge certainly needs to be addressed, since identifying the relevance and role of life stress in the context of health risk perception and other health risk reactions has consequences for public health practice and health risk communication as well as theory building.

The purpose of this PhD-project is to investigate the potential role of life stress in influencing health risk perception and other health risk reactions (risk acceptance, risk behavior). In particular, the project aims to identify: (a) direct effects of life stress (perceived psychological stress, recent life events, adverse events in childhood) on risk perception, as well as indirect effects of life stress, mediated via risk perception, on risk acceptance and risk behavior; (b) moderator effects of life stress on the impact that 'real-life' health risk information has on people's health risk reactions.

The project is divided into two randomized, controlled studies, one longitudinal and the other cross-sectional. The studies differ from each other in terms of the: (a) type of health risk being investigated; and (b) presentation mode of the risk information. Study 1 focuses on the risk of developing type 2-diabetes and will present the risk information in the form of written text. Study 2 focuses on the threat of terrorism occurring in Western Europe and will present the risk information visually in the form of a video clip. Reactions to the risk information will be analyzed in relation to prior, naturally occurring stress, which is treated as an additional quasi-experimental factor.

Description of the cohort

In both studies, the study population comprises University students in Denmark. Participants should meet the following inclusion criteria: (1) being enrolled at the University of Southern Denmark (both studies) or any of the other four Universities in Denmark (only in study 1); (2) enrolled on a full-time Bachelor or Master's degree in the arts of sciences (both studies); (3) Danish or non-Danish citizen (both studies); (4) being able to speak English (both studies). Students with less than a year left on their study programme will be excluded from participating (only in study 1). Participants will be recruited via University employees at the student administration services, who will be asked to send a recruitment mail to currently attending students on behalf of the study team members. 

Data and biological material

Data will be collected from electronic surveys in both studies. Among the parameters studied are: demographic characteristics, physical characteristics (height, weight; only in study 1), current engagement in risk factors associated with the health risk (only in study 1), degree of prior personal involvement with the health risk, information-seeking behaviour, personality traits, negative life events (in childhood and adulthood), perceived psychological stress (during the past month), coping, state stress, state emotions, cognitive and emotional risk perception, risk acceptance, and behavioral intentions and reactions. In addition to data collected from electronic surveys, the following physiological data will be collected in study 2: cardiovascular reactivity (blood pressure and pulse) and salivary cortisol levels. Biological material will be sent immediately to the laboratory and will be destroyed after analysis.

Collaborating researchers and departments

Unit for Health Promotion Research, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark

• PhD-student Lotte Skøt, Cand.psych
• Principle supervisor and Professor Anja Leppin

Unit for General Practice Research, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark

• Second supervisor and Professor Jesper Bo Nielsen