Department of Communication Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA.
Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA.
J Health Commun. 2021 Feb 1;26(2):92-103. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2021.1895918. Epub 2021 Mar 12.
Limited awareness and low uptake rate of Human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention strategies among females require the development of more effective educational interventions. Regulatory focus theory posits the matching of framing valence with the recipients' regulatory focus increases persuasiveness. Following regulatory focus theory, we examined how individual regulatory focus changed the effects of gain- and loss-framed messages on promoting consistent condom use and HPV DNA testing for HPV prevention. We also explored whether this interaction effect impacts the influences of target individuals' initial attitudes about condom use and HPV DNA testing on post attitudes and intentions. Results of Study 1 showed that, in general, the gain-framed message fit with regulatory focus (i.e., promotion focus) promoted more positive attitudes about consistent condom use than the gain-framed message nonfit with their regulatory focus (i.e., prevention focus).Nevertheless, the gain-framed message nonfit with regulatory focus (i.e., prevention focus) strengthened the negative relationship between initial attitudes and intentions, which promoted the intentions to use condom consistently among people who initially held negative attitudes toward consistent condom use. In Study 2, we did not observe a significant interaction effect of message framing and regulatory focus in the HPV DNA testing context. However, we observed that the gain-framed message nonfit with regulatory focus (i.e., prevention focus) led to the changes in the significance of the initial attitudes - post attitudes relationship from significant to non-significant. Thus, the reliance on initial negative attitudes about HPV DNA testing in decision-making decreased. Theoretical and practical implications of our research were discussed.
女性对人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）预防策略的认识有限且接受率低，这就需要开发更有效的教育干预措施。监管焦点理论假设，框架效价与接受者的监管焦点相匹配会提高说服力。根据监管焦点理论，我们研究了个体监管焦点如何改变收益和损失框架信息对促进一致性使用避孕套和 HPV DNA 检测以预防 HPV 的影响。我们还探讨了这种相互作用是否会影响目标个体对避孕套使用和 HPV DNA 检测的初始态度对后期态度和意图的影响。研究 1 的结果表明，一般来说，收益框架信息与监管焦点（即促进焦点）相匹配会比不匹配监管焦点（即预防焦点）更能促进对一致性使用避孕套的积极态度。然而，收益框架信息与监管焦点（即预防焦点）不匹配会加强初始态度和意图之间的负相关关系，从而促进那些对一致性使用避孕套持有负面态度的人的意图。在研究 2 中，我们在 HPV DNA 检测背景下没有观察到信息框架和监管焦点的显著交互作用。然而，我们观察到收益框架信息与监管焦点（即预防焦点）不匹配会导致初始态度-后期态度关系的重要性从显著变为不显著。因此，对 HPV DNA 检测的初始负面态度在决策中的依赖程度降低。我们讨论了研究的理论和实践意义。
