a Department of Psychology (Tamaki Campus) , The University of Auckland , New Zealand.
Psychol Health. 2008;23(1):91-112. doi: 10.1080/14768320701342383.
This study evaluates the contents of representations of skin cancer risk and their associations with risk appraisals, worry, and protection intentions and behaviors. The Assessment of Illness Risk Representations (AIRR) was used to measure conceptual and imagery contents of risk representations, as delineated by the Common-Sense Model. University students (N = 120) completed the AIRR; measures of likelihood and severity appraisals, and worry; and measures of skin self-examination, clinical skin examination, and sun protection intentions and behaviors. Beliefs about identity, causal, and timeline risk were positively associated with likelihood appraisals, whereas consequences and timeline risk beliefs were positively associated with severity appraisals. Identity and timeline risk independently predicted worry. Representational attributes, including imagery vividness and valence, independently predicted intentions and behaviors, whereas likelihood and severity appraisals did not. Symptom imagery interacted with worry to predict detection and prevention intentions: worry predicted greater intentions for participants with symptom imagery but not for those without symptom imagery. The findings support the utility of the AIRR for assessing risk representations and identify ways in which risk representations may guide protective behavior.
本研究评估了皮肤癌风险的代表性内容及其与风险评估、担忧和保护意图与行为的关联。使用疾病风险代表性评估工具（AIRR）来衡量风险代表性的概念和意象内容，这是由常识模型定义的。共有 120 名大学生完成了 AIRR 量表、可能性和严重程度评估、担忧，以及皮肤自我检查、临床皮肤检查、防晒意图和行为的测量。身份、因果和时间线风险信念与可能性评估呈正相关，而后果和时间线风险信念与严重程度评估呈正相关。身份和时间线风险独立预测了担忧。代表性属性，包括意象的生动性和情感价值，独立预测了意图和行为，而可能性和严重程度评估则没有。症状意象与担忧相互作用，预测了检测和预防意图：对于有症状意象的参与者，担忧预测了更大的意图，而对于没有症状意象的参与者则没有。这些发现支持了 AIRR 评估风险代表性的效用，并确定了风险代表性如何指导保护行为的方式。
