Experience-based health risk feedback and lack of reassurance

Abstract

Health risk screenings providing personalised risk information are gaining prominence. Yet, only few studies have examined how people react to low-risk feedback yielding inconsistent results. While some studies observed a high acceptance of low-risk health feedback, others showed a lack of acceptance. The present experiment extends previous research by (1) testing whether pre-feedback expectancies moderate the response to low-risk feedback, (2) probing different types of responses to feedback (‘feedback acceptance’ and ‘perceived implications’), and (3) adding an ‘experiential-enriched' phase to the (fictitious) risk testing procedure. Specifically, participants monitored the risk measure process through the provision of ‘evolving' risk feedback, which enables real-time risk-related experiences. A total of 96 participants received computerised, personalised risk feedback about their own risk of developing a (fictitious) stress-related disease (Tucson-Fatigue-Syndrome). Afterwards, feedback acceptance and perceived implications for one's future health were assessed. Participants’ reactions to feedback valence (high- vs. low-risk status) were moderated by their pre-feedback expectancy. Unexpected low-risk feedback was associated with less acceptance and higher perceived negative consequences for the self compared to expected low-risk feedback, indicating a ‘lack of reassurance’. Thus, good news is significantly less reassuring when it is unexpected.