1. Powerpoint by: Rebecca Amantia H571
Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) Chapter 5 Authors: DiClemente, Salazar, Crosby
Powerpoint by: Rebecca Amantia
H571

2. Overview Introduction of PMT History Components of PMT Example
Applied in Public Health
Two Public Health examples

3. PMT Introduction
Communication Theory
To better understand the specific cognitive process underlying how fear appeals motivate people to change their behavior.
Perceived threat + Cognitive processes.
Analysis of rewards and costs for engaging in either a maladaptive behavior or adaptive response.
Designing messages for health awareness campaigns that utilize fear as a motivator for positive behavior.
Ex: Antismoking advertisements. .
PMT is considered a communication theory. It was developed to better understand the specific cognitive process underlying how fear appeals (fear tactics) motivate ppl to change their behavior.
This theory (PMT) acknowledges that to be effective in fear appeals not only do you need to consider perceived threat (as discussed in the Health Belief Model), but there is a need to consider the cognitive complexities involved when motivating people to change their behavior.
Cognitive processes: analysis of rewards and costs for engaging in either maladaptive behavior or adaptive response.
Maladaptive responses are those that place an individual at health risk either engaging in a health behavior risk (ex: smoking)or not adopting a protective behavior and adaptive responses (health protective behavior, ex: getting vaccinated)

4. History of PMT Fear Prior Dr. R. W. Rogers in 1975 Lazarus & Leventhal
Fear was an emotional trigger for trial-and –error type responses in an attempt to escape the experience of fear.
Dr. R. W. Rogers in 1975
to explain the cognitive effects of fear appeals.
Lazarus & Leventhal
Fear triggers an automatic appraisal.
Differ in Sensitivity & Vulnerability, Interactions & Reactions.
Danger Control & Fear Control
1st three factors of PMT: Threat Severity, Threat Vulnerability, & Response Efficacy
PMT known as today
Include self efficacy and emphasize cognitive processes, which motivates either adaptive or maladaptive behavioral responses.
Fear was conceptualized to be an emotional trigger of trial-and-error type responses in an attempt to escape the experience of fear.
Dr. Rogers proposed the PMT in his 1975 paper to explain the cognitive effects of fear appeals. He saw fear as a thought process or assessment that lead to a behavior change.
Rogers work was founded upon Lazarus and Leventhal’s work on relating fear and coping responses to cognitive processes.
From Leventhal’s Danger control is where Rogers derived his first three factors of PMT: Threat severity, threat vulnerability and Response efficacy. Later he extended PMT to include self efficacy and what we know now to be more generalized persuasive communication theory that emphasizes the cognitive processes, which motivate either adaptive or maladaptive behavioral responses.

5. Components of PMT
The Threat Appraisal & the Coping Appraisal are in close proximity to Protection Motivation
Threat
appraisal
Rewards of
Maladaptive response
Severity
Vulnerability
Protection
Motivation
Fear
appeal
Coping appraisal
Response Efficacy
Self-Efficacy
In this figure the PMT illustrates how the 2 appraisal processes, threat appraisal and the coping appraisal, are in close proximity to protection motivation.
And Protection Motivation is defined as A mediating variable whose function is to direct protective health behavior, similar to behavioral intention. Each of the 2 processes are further divided.
Costs of
Adaptive response
Protection Motivation:
A mediating variable whose function is to direct protective health behavior.

6. THREAT APPRAISAL: Severity & Vulnerability
Assessment of the seriousness of a health threat.
Estimating Vulnerability (Probability of a negative outcome)
Severity of the negative outcome if no action is taken.
Protection
Motivation
Severity
Vulnerability
Fear
appeal
Rewards of
Maladaptive response
Threat
appraisal
Example: First they will assess how severe the consequences would be for them (severity) and then try and estimate the likelihood of negative outcome happening(vulnerability).
Example: Skin Cancer: Severity: I will get moles, skin lesion, have to go through radiation, possible death.
Vulnerability: how likely am I going to get skin cancer? I work outside in the sun all day.
Severity and Vulnerability is similar to the Health Belief Model constructs of Perceived Severity and Perceived Susceptibility, but the PMT adds another aspect that plays a role in threat appraisal, known as rewards.

7. THREAT APPRAISAL: Rewards
Rewards are positive consequences for a maladaptive behavioral response.
Rewards of
Maladaptive response
Protection
Motivation
Fear
appeal
Threat
appraisal
Severity
Vulnerability
Maladaptive behavior being either engaging in a health risk behavior as binge drinking or not adopting a protective behavior such as not wearing a helmet.
Example : Behavior: Not wearing sunscreen or long sleeves: The short sleeves are more comfortable to work in, will be tan and “sexy” /look good.
The threat appraisal suggest that a maladaptive response (not wearing sunscreen) is likely when considering the rewards (being tan and “sexy”), but that the severity and vulnerability of the negative outcomes reduce the attractiveness of the rewards so that an adaptive response is likely to occur.

8. COPING APPRAISAL: Response & Self Efficacy
Response Efficacy
Evaluation of how effective the behavior will be in protecting the individual from harm.
Self Efficacy
The individuals evaluation of their capacity to perform the recommended behavior.
Protection
Motivation
Response Efficacy
Self-Efficacy
Fear
appeal
Costs of
Adaptive response
Coping appraisal
In other words a person's beliefs as to whether the recommended action step will actually avoid the threat
Response Efficacy: The patient believing if they wear sunscreen, they will be protected from the suns harmful rays and will reduce their probability of getting skin cancer.
Self Efficacy example: That’s easy! I believe I can remember to wear sunscreen. Or I don’t believe I will remember to wear sunscreen everyday.
In addition to response and self efficacy the coping appraisal factors in the cost of the adaptive response.

9. COPING APPRAISAL: Cost
Costs
involves physical, social, or psychological consequences for engaging in the adaptive response.
Costs of
Adaptive response
Protection
Motivation
Response Efficacy
Self-Efficacy
Coping appraisal
Fear
appeal
Example: wearing sunscreen, I will be greasy and smelly like the lotion, I wont be tan and sexy for summer.

10. EXAMPLE Health Threat: alcohol poisoning
Vulnerability: Probability of alcohol poisoning if one continues to drink too much.
Severity: Mortality or Morbidity of alcohol poisoning.
Response Efficacy : will drinking less prevent alcohol poisoning.
Self-Efficacy: Individuals evaluation of their ability to limit their drinks or quit.
Rewards of Maladaptive Response: Rewards of continuing to heavily drink (being cool or popular)
Cost of Adaptive Response: Cost to drinking less (not being cool or being made fun of)
The PMT suggest that when faced with a fear appeal that makes someone aware of a health threat, smoking will lead to lung cancer, an individual takes into account the four cognitive considerations.
Rewards can be reduced given the severity and vulnerability of the disease or negative outcome. Where costs are considered given the effectiveness of reducing alcohol consumption in averting alcohol poisoning and the ability to successfully reduce consumption/quit, with all of this to arrive to the protection motivation.

11. PMT Applied Useful to health communication
reducing alcohol use, enhancing healthy lifestyles, enhancing diagnostic health behaviors and preventing disease.
Utilized to discover which part of message design has the greatest impact on message efficacy.
Successful health awareness message using fear appeal.
It should communicate that the negative outcome is appropriately severe and that the observer has a significant vulnerability to the negative result. Activating the threat appraisal.
It should also indicate an appropriate behavioral response and stress how effective the response is in preventing negative outcome, as well as highlight the individual’s capability to perform the response. Activating the coping appraisal.

12. Example: Anti-smoking commercial
If time show.

13. Thank You!