ArticlePsychology & health2014
Does perceived risk influence the effects of message framing? A new investigation of a widely held notion.
Article in Psychology & health, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 79 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects of gain-loss framed message on physical activity attitudes, intentions, and behaviors in physically inactive adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Message Design Choices Don't Make Much Difference to Persuasiveness and Can't Be Counted On-Not Even When Moderating Conditions Are Specified.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Pooled it
- Appealing to fear: A meta-analysis of fear appeal effectiveness and theories.Psychological bulletin · 2015Pooled it
- Message framing effects on attitude and intention toward social participation in old age.BMC public health · 2023Trial
- Loss-framing of information and pre-vaccination consultation improve COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: A survey experiment.Frontiers in public health · 2023Trial
- Effects of culturally targeted message framing on colorectal cancer screening among African Americans.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2021Trial
- The effects of message framing and healthcare provider recommendation on adult hepatitis B vaccination: A randomized controlled trial.Preventive medicine · 2019Trial
- Understanding the Effects of Message Framing on Physical Activity Action Planning: the Role of Risk Perception and Elaboration.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2018Trial
- Factors associated with maternal influenza immunization decision-making. Evidence of immunization history and message framing effects.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2014Trial
- Development of a Web-Based Experiential Learning Intervention for the Public to Reduce Cancer Stigma: Tutorial on the Application of Intervention Mapping.JMIR cancer · 2026Article
- Developing a Female Sex Worker-Led Program to Improve the Uptake of Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in South Africa: An Intervention Mapping Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Providing LGBTQ+ Adolescents With Nurturance, Trustworthiness, and Safety: A Community-Informed, Theory-Grounded, Evidence-Based Intervention for High School Staff.Psychology of sexual orientation and gender diversity · 2025Article
- Factors influencing adoption intentions to use AIGC for health information: findings from SEM and fsQCA.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Message Framing for Men? Gender Moderated Effects of Culturally Targeted Message Framing on Colorectal Cancer Screening Receptivity among African Americans.Psychology of men & masculinity · 2023Article
- Prospect Theory: A Bibliometric and Systematic Review in the Categories of Psychology in Web of Science.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Collective Value Promotes the Willingness to Share Provaccination Messages on Social Media in China: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Promoting a hand sanitizer by persuasive messages: moving bottle and background color as approach and avoidance cues.Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) · 2022Article
- Marketing SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines: an Opportunity to Test a Nobel Prize-Winning Theory.Journal of general internal medicine · 2021Article
- Interactive effects of message framing and information content on carbon offsetting behaviors.Tourism management · 2021Article
- Parental Support for HPV Vaccination Mandates Among African Americans: The Impact of Message Framing and Consideration of Future Consequences.Health communication · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Health-promoting messages can be framed in terms of the beneficial consequences of healthy behaviour (gain-framed messages) or the detrimental consequences of unhealthy behaviour (loss-framed messages). An influential notion holds that the perceived risk associated with the recommended behaviour determines the relative persuasiveness of gain- and loss-framed messages. This 'risk-framing hypothesis', as we call it, was derived from prospect theory, has been central to health message framing research for the last two decades, and does not cease to appeal to researchers. The present paper examines the validity of the risk-framing hypothesis. We performed six empirical studies on the interaction between perceived risk and message framing. These studies were conducted in two different countries and employed framed messages targeting skin cancer prevention and detection, physical activity, breast self-examination and vaccination behaviour. Behavioural intention served as the outcome measure. None of these studies found evidence in support of the risk-framing hypothesis. We conclude that the empirical evidence in favour of the hypothesis is weak and discuss the ramifications of this for future message framing research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.