Resistance to persuasion as a maladaptive coping response to anti Covid-19 message: a protection motivation theory perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the protection motivation theory’s (PMT) maladaptive coping response to anti-Covid-19 preventive persuasive appeals. PMT is based on coping appraisal that may lead to either an adaptive- or a maladaptive coping response. It has been suggested that the maladaptive coping response is not sufficiently investigated and can be represented by individuals’ resistance to anti-Covid-19 persuasive messages. It has been also supposed that resistance is predicted and modeled through a set of cognitive, affective and individual factors such as information processing style, fear arousal, gender and coping self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

An experiment and a survey were conducted online on a random sample of 290 individuals. The sample was divided into two groups, each of which was exposed to an anti-Covid-19 persuasive message.

Findings

The findings show that resistance to anti-Covid-19 persuasion is not directly predicted by the individual’s exposure to the message, but channeled through an affective and a cognitive process. It was also reported that resistance is predicted by both the reflective and the nonreflective information processing styles, which are in turn predicted by a high versus a low fear arousal. Fear arousal level was shown to be moderated by gender and coping self-efficacy.

Originality/value

This research brings additional insight to the PMT in so far that it highlights the maladaptive coping response through resistance to persuasion in a pandemic context.

Citation

Boukamcha, F. (2024), "Resistance to persuasion as a maladaptive coping response to anti Covid-19 message: a protection motivation theory perspective", International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 541-562. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-11-2022-0094