Threat Orientation Model: Dispositional and Situational Influences on Reactions to Potential Threats

对威胁信息的反应对个人和社会都有重要的影响。事故率、保健费用、保险费用、工人赔偿费用和其他社会指标受到个人预防行动的影响。因此，了解人们对潜在威胁信息的反应是至关重要的。当得知有关威胁的信息时，人们对评估个人风险的个体差异知之甚少。这项拨款将测试对威胁反应的威胁取向模型，该模型提出了对威胁的三种基本个人取向。人们要么采取基于控制的应对措施，包括识别风险的个人相关性和可控性，并采取行动降低风险；以否认为基础的反应，包括否认个人风险和不采取预防措施；或者是一种高度敏感的反应，包括对脆弱性和风险的极度敏感，以及对个人风险的高估。先前的研究已经开发出一份问卷来衡量个人的威胁倾向。这项拨款的研究将使用全国随机样本进一步确定量表的有效性，并将检查个人的威胁取向如何影响对潜在威胁的信息的处理以及是否采取保护行动。一项研究聚焦于那些有拒绝倾向的人，并测试了几种方法来减少拒绝，从而关注有关威胁的信息。另一项研究针对那些具有高度敏感取向的人，以了解焦虑如何导致对威胁的不适当反应。最后，从研究中收集的信息将用于开发和测试几种关于特定威胁的公共服务信息的有效性，例如身份盗窃或过度暴露于阳光下。这项研究将进一步发展以科学为基础的关于威胁反应的理论，并将提供信息，为有效干预和有关潜在威胁的信息奠定基础。

Responses to threat information have important consequences for individuals and for society. Accident rates, health costs, insurance rates, workmen's compensation costs, and other societal indicators are influenced by the preventive actions of individuals. Thus it is critically important to understand how people respond to information about a potential threat. Little is known about individual differences in assessing personal risk when given information about a threat. This grant will test the Threat Orientation model of responses to threat which proposes three basic individual orientations to threat. People use either a control-based response which involves identifying the personal relevance and controllability of the risk and taking actions to reduce the risk; a denial-based response which involves denying personal risk and not taking preventive actions; or a heightened sensitivity-based response which involves acute sensitivity to vulnerability and risk and an overestimation of personal risk.Previous research has developed a questionnaire to measure an individual's threat orientation. The studies in this grant will further establish the validity of the scale using a national random sample and will examine how an individual's threat orientation affects processing of information about a potential threat and whether protective action is taken. One study focuses on those with a denial-based orientation and tests several ways to reduce denial so information about threat is attended to. Another study targets those with a heightened sensitivity orientation to understand how anxiety can lead to an inappropriate response to threat. Finally, the information gathered from the studies will be used to develop and test the effectiveness of several public service messages about specific threats such as identity theft or overexposure to the sun. This research will further the development of sound science-based theory about responses to threat and will provide information to form the basis for effective interventions and messages about potential threats.