Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36317412›Full record

Trial reportBritish journal of health psychology2023

An experimental COVID-19 messaging study in a representative sample of the Scottish population: Increasing physical distancing intentions through self-efficacy.

Chantal den Daas, Marie Johnston, Gill Hubbard, Diane Dixon

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in British journal of health psychology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Chantal den DaasHealth Psychology Group, University of Aberdeen Institute of Applied Health Sciences, Aberdeen, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0955-3691
Marie JohnstonHealth Psychology Group, University of Aberdeen Institute of Applied Health Sciences, Aberdeen, UK.
Gill HubbardDepartment of Nursing and Midwifery, University of the Highlands and Islands Institute of Health Research and Innovation, Inverness, UK.
Diane DixonHealth Psychology Group, University of Aberdeen Institute of Applied Health Sciences, Aberdeen, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesSelf-efficacy is important for adherence to transmission-reducing behaviours (e.g., physical distancing) as also shown in the CHARIS project. We aimed to show that a theory-based short message can increase physical distancing self-efficacy and intentions to keep physical distance.

designStructured telephone surveys with a randomly selected nationally representative sample of adults in Scotland (N = 497).

methodsParticipants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: message condition (short message to increase self-efficacy via vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion and emotional arousal) or control condition (no message). Followed by measures for self-efficacy and intention for physical distancing on 4-point scales. Adherence to physical distancing was assessed on a 5-point frequency scale (never - always).

resultsUsing mediation analyses with bootstrapping procedures, we first confirmed that self-efficacy was associated indirectly with adherence, via higher intentions in a partial mediation (unstandardized indirect effect .21, 95% CI .18-.25). The message increased self-efficacy; participants receiving the message reported higher self-efficacy (M = 4.23, SD = .80) compared to participants in the control condition (M = 4.08, SD = .77; standardized regression coefficient = .19, p < .05) and self-efficacy affected intention (.48, p < .001). There was a small significant indirect effect of the message on intention via self-efficacy (unstandardized indirect effect .07, CI .01-.14).

conclusionsIncreasing self-efficacy for physical distancing with a short message can successfully increase intention to physical distance via increased self-efficacy. As both self-efficacy and intentions are important predictors of adherence to transmission-reducing behaviours short messages have potential to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Indexed as

COVID-19IntentionAdultEmotionsHumansPhysical DistancingSelf EfficacyadherenceCOVID-19intentionsmessagingphysical distancingself-efficacy

Identifiers

PMID36317412
PMCPMC9878139

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.