University employees' preparedness for natural hazards and incidents of mass violence: An application of the extended parallel process model

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine previous disaster impact, threat perception, self-efficacy, and gender as predictors of university employees’ preparedness for natural hazards and incidents of mass violence. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with faculty and staff members (N = 410) at a medium-sized university located in the southern United States. Drawing from the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), a moderated mediation model was hypothesized and partially supported. For natural hazards, past experience and gender had direct effects on perceived susceptibility, but perceived susceptibility did not mediate the effect of past disaster experience on preparedness behavior, nor did past disaster experience have a significant direct effect. However, both self-efficacy and disaster impact had direct effects on preparedness behavior, and self-efficacy further moderated the effect of disaster impact. For incidents of mass violence, perceived susceptibility significantly mediated the effect of past experience on preparedness behavior, when self-efficacy was high and employees were female. As with natural hazards, past experience and gender had significant direct effects on perceived susceptibility. Self-efficacy also had a significant direct effect on preparedness behavior. These results support EPPM theory in that threat messages and perceptions correspond to increased preparedness behavior when paired with self-efficacy for responding to disasters. Therefore, it is recommended that educational institutions employ disaster preparedness programs that focus on educating employees about cultivating accurate threat perceptions and building their confidence in responding to disasters.