Impact of social media messages on perceived risk and severity of adverse effects and regret of HPV vaccination: The moderating role of decision-making preference.

Abstract

10543 Background: The HPV vaccine has proven to be a highly effective and safe public health intervention for reducing the risk of various types of cancer. Despite its efficacy and safety, misinformation and negative opinions about the vaccine on social media can lead to negative emotions such as regret among those who have received it. This study investigated the impact of different content of social media messages on perceived risk and severity of adverse effects and regret of HPV vaccination. Methods: An experiment was designed to expose participants to messages posted on social media that manipulated the number of Vaccine Adverse Effects and the appeal used (narrative vs. statistics). The study measured the effect of the message on decisional regret and also assessed preferred level of involvement with medical decision-making. The online study was implemented among college students enrolled in a Midwestern or a South Texas university. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to systematically test the relationships between the variables of interest. Results: A total of 721 participants were exposed to the experimental materials and completed the questionnaire. The results of the SEM (with overall good fitness of RMSEA = 0.015, CMIN/df = 1.172) suggest that messages that contained more numeric information (standardized regression weights [Std Reg Wght = 0.161]) and more adverse effects of the HPV vaccine (Std Reg Wght = 0.076) led to a higher perception of the risk of vaccine adverse effects. The severity of adverse effects was significantly associated with the number of side effects in the message (Std Reg Wght = 0.147). This increase in perceived risk (Std Reg Wght = 0.182) and severity of side effects of the vaccine (Std Reg Wght = 0.163) seem to increase decisional regret. However, this relationship was moderated by individuals’ preferences for making their own medical decisions. Individuals with a higher preference to make their own health decisions were less likely to experience decisional regret (Std Reg Wght = -0.238). Conclusions: Messages on social media can exacerbate negative emotions and lead to hesitation in following future medical advice. Encouraging individuals to play a more active role in their medical decision-making appears to reduce this negative emotion and increase their confidence in health decisions.