Exploring the Effects of Source Credibility and Message Framing on STI Screening Intentions: An Application of Prospect and Protection Motivation Theory

Roughly half of all new sexually transmitted infections (STI) occur in adolescent and college-aged populations. College students tend to underestimate their personal risks of contracting STIs. Consequently, many college students do not engage in protective behaviors that would reduce STI transmission rates. This study examined the effect of source credibility (high vs. low) and message framing (positive vs. negative) on college students' behavioral intentions to get screened for STIs via a 2 × 2 experiment (n = 207). Further, drawing on both Prospect Theory and Protection Motivation Theory, the study tested whether coping and threat appraisals mediated the effects of source credibility and message framing on behavioral intentions. Results reveal that both highly credible sources and negatively framed messages influenced behavioral intentions to screen for STIs. However, the interaction term of source credibility by message frame was not significant. Mediation models suggested that efficacy perceptions partially explained the effect of source credibility on behavioral intentions, but not for the effect of message framing. Perceptions of severity and susceptibility did not mediate the effect of either source credibility or message framing. Practical and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.