Avoiding information about one’s health can have long-term implications for health and well-being. Two studies examined the relationship between health information avoidance and coping self-efficacy, or a sense that one can effectively cope. In Study 1, coping self-efficacy, but not general self-efficacy, was associated with information avoidance. In Study 2, participants who reflected on their positive coping strategies were less likely to avoid learning their risk for disease as compared to those who did not reflect on their coping strategies. These findings suggest that coping self-efficacy is a good target for future interventions aimed at reducing health information avoidance.
BaikieKAWilhelmK (2005) Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment11(5): 338–346.
2.
BanduraA (1977) Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review84(2): 191–215.
3.
BanduraA (1993) Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist28(2): 117–148.
4.
BenkaJNagyovaIRosenbergerJ, et al. (2014) Is coping self-efficacy related to psychological distress in early and established rheumatoid arthritis patients?Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities26(3): 285–297.
5.
ChaEKimKHLernerHM, et al. (2014) Health literacy, self-efficacy, food label use, and diet in young adults. American Journal of Health Behavior38(3): 331–339.
6.
ChesneyMANeilandsTBChambersDB, et al. (2006) A validity and reliability study of the coping self-efficacy scale. British Journal of Health Psychology11: 421–437.
7.
DawsonESavitskyKDunningD (2006) “Don’t Tell Me, I Don’t Want to Know”: Understanding people’s reluctance to obtain medical diagnostic information1. Journal of Applied Social Psychology36(3): 751–768.
8.
DwyerLAShepperdJAStockML (2015) Predicting avoidance of skin damage feedback among college students. Annals of Behavioral Medicine49(5): 1–11.
9.
EmanuelASKiviniemiMTHowellJL, et al. (2015) Avoiding cancer risk information. Social Science & Medicine147: 113–120.
10.
GigerenzerGGarcia-RetameroR (2017) Cassandra’s regret: The psychology of not wanting to know. Psychological Review124(2): 179–196.
11.
Harmon-JonesEPetersonHVaughnK (2003) The dissonance-inducing effects of an inconsistency between experienced empathy and knowledge of past failures to help: Support for the action-based model of dissonance. Basic and Applied Social Psychology25(1): 69–78.
12.
HarrisMIEastmanRC (2000) Early detection of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus: A US perspective. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews16(4): 230–236.
13.
HartWAlbarracínDEaglyAH, et al. (2009) Feeling validated versus being correct: A meta-analysis of selective exposure to information. Psychological Bulletin135(4): 555–588.
14.
HermanWHYeWGriffinSJ, et al. (2015) Early detection and treatment of type 2 diabetes reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality: A simulation of the results of the Anglo-Danish-Dutch Study of Intensive Treatment in People With Screen-Detected Diabetes in Primary Care (ADDITION-Europe). Diabetes Care38(8): 1449–1455.
15.
HeronMP (2018) Deaths: Leading causes for 2016. National Vital Statistics Reports67(6): 1–77.
16.
HowellJ (2015) Self-resources, Psychological Threat Management, and Information Avoidance. Doctoral dissertation, University of Florida, Florida, USA.
17.
HowellJLShepperdJA (2013) Behavioral obligation and information avoidance. Annals of Behavioral Medicine45(2): 258–263.
18.
HowellJLShepperdJA (2017) Social exclusion, self-affirmation, and health information avoidance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology68: 21–26.
19.
HowellJLCrosierBSShepperdJA (2014) Does lacking threat-management resources increase information avoidance? A multi-sample, multi-method investigation. Journal of Research in Personality50: 102–109.
20.
HowellJLipseyNShepperdJ (2016) Health information avoidance: Prevalence, causes, consequences, and cures. In: SweenyKRobinsM (eds) Wiley Encyclopedia of Health Psychology. Hoboken: Wiley.
21.
JamesEStaceyFChapmanK, et al. (2015) Impact of a nutrition and physical activity intervention (ENRICH: Exercise and Nutrition Routine Improving Cancer Health) on health behaviors of cancer survivors and carers: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial. BMC Cancer15(1): 710–726.
22.
JemmottJBDittoPHCroyleRT (1986) Judging health status: Effects of perceived prevalence and personal relevance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology50(5): 899–905.
23.
KieferMMSilvermanJBYoungBA, et al. (2015) National patterns in diabetes screening: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2012. Journal of General Internal Medicine30(5): 612–618.
24.
LevinAStevensPE (2011) Early detection of CKD: The benefits, limitations and effects on prognosis. Nature Reviews Nephrology7(8): 446–457.
25.
MelnykDShepperdJA (2012) Avoiding risk information about breast cancer. Annals of Behavioral Medicine44(2): 216–224.
26.
MikulaPNagyovaIKrokavcovaM, et al. (2014) Coping and its importance for quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis. Disability and Rehabilitation36(9): 732–736.
27.
MurrayELoBPollackL, et al. (2003) The impact of health information on the Internet on the physician-patient relationship: Patient perceptions. Archives of Internal Medicine163(14): 1727–1734.
28.
O’LearyA (1985) Self-efficacy and health. Behaviour Research and Therapy23(4): 437–451.
29.
RansomSJacobsenPBSchmidtJE, et al. (2005) Relationship of problem-focused coping strategies to changes in quality of life following treatment for early stage breast cancer. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management30(3): 243–253.
RodkjaerLChesneyMLomborgK, et al. (2014) HIV-infected individuals with high coping self-efficacy are less likely to report depressive symptoms: A cross-sectional study from Denmark. International Journal of Infectious Diseases22: 67–72.
32.
RyanK (2013) How Problem Focused and Emotion Focused Coping Affects College Students’ Perceived Stress and Life Satisfaction [Honors Thesis, Dublin Business School] DBS esource.
33.
SchwarzerRJerusalemM (2010) The general self-efficacy scale (GSE). Anxiety, Stress, and Coping12: 329–345.
34.
SheeranPMakiAMontanaroE, et al. (2016) The impact of changing attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy on health-related intentions and behavior: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology35(11): 1178–1188.
35.
ShepperdJAHowellJL (2015) Responding to psychological threats with deliberate ignorance: Causes and remedies. In: CarrollPJArkinRMWichmanAL (eds) Handbook of Personal Security. New York, NY: Psychology Press, pp. 257–274.
36.
ShinD-HBioccaF (2017) Health experience model of personal informatics: The case of a quantified self. Computers in Human Behavior69: 62–74.
37.
ShinD-HLeeSHwangY (2017) How do credibility and utility play in the user experience of health informatics services?Computers in Human Behavior67: 292–302.
38.
SmithSMFabrigarLRNorrisME (2008) Reflecting on six decades of selective exposure research: Progress, challenges, and opportunities. Social and Personality Psychology Compass2(1): 464–493.
39.
StaigerPKMelvilleFHidesL, et al. (2009) Can emotion-focused coping help explain the link between posttraumatic stress disorder severity and triggers for substance use in young adults?Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment36(2): 220–226.
40.
StrentzTAuerbachSM (1988) Adjustment to the stress of simulated captivity: Effects of emotion-focused versus problem-focused preparation on hostages differing in locus of control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology55(4): 652–660.
41.
SulkowskiMLDempseyJDempseyAG (2011) Effects of stress and coping on binge eating in female college students. Eating Behaviors12(3): 188–191.
42.
SweenyKMelnykDMillerWA, et al. (2010) Information avoidance: Who, what, when, and why. Review of General Psychology14(4): 340–353.
43.
WarnerLMSchüzBWolffJK, et al. (2014) Sources of self-efficacy for physical activity. Health Psychology33(11): 1298–1308.
44.
WeimerDLSagerMA (2009) Early identification and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: Social and fiscal outcomes. Alzheimer’s & Dementia5(3): 215–226.
45.
WitteK (1992) Putting the fear back into fear appeals: The extended parallel process model. Communications Monographs59(4): 329–349.
46.
WorthingtonELSchererM (2004) Forgiveness is an emotion-focused coping strategy that can reduce health risks and promote health resilience: Theory, review, and hypotheses. Psychology & Health19(3): 385–405.
47.
YanZWangTChenY, et al. (2016) Knowledge sharing in online health communities: A social exchange theory perspective. Information & Management53(5): 643–653.
48.
YiMParkEY (2012) Effects of breast health education conducted by trained breast cancer survivors. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(5): 1100–1110.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
