The Effect of Tailored Listening Style Preference Messages On Adult Pertussis Vaccination Decisions

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: Effective listening skills are often neglected in health contexts, especially when delivering or receiving health risk messages.  This study examines listening between healthcare providers and adult parental caregivers by testing the effect of receiver apprehension and tailored health risk messages to listening style profile preferences on health risk perception. The following four hypotheses were addressed:   H1:    There is a significant difference between risk perception and health risk message type (non-tailored versus tailored). H2:    For the not tailored group, there is a significant difference in risk perception by listening style. H3:    Receiver apprehension does decrease risk perception. H4:    The linear interaction of receiver apprehension and health risk messages does increase risk perception.

Methods and Results (informing the conceptual analysis):  Using an experimental design, adult parental caregivers (n=148) are administered the Receiver Apprehension Test (RAT) and the Listening Style Profile (LSP-16) and are then randomized to receive a standard (non-tailored) health risk message or a message tailored to the caregiver’s preferred listening style preference.  After viewing the health risk message of adult-to-child pertussis transmission, which includes the need for an adult pertussis vaccination to protect against transmission, the caregivers then answer a demographic questionnaire and indicate their health risk perception of adult-to-child pertussis transmission on the Risk Behavior Diagnosis (RBD) scale. 

Conclusions:  The results of the study offer partial support of tailored health risk messages of preferred listening styles predicting risk perception and the likelihood of obtaining an adult pertussis vaccination.  While significant results are found between the tailored group and health risk perception, the control group indicates a slightly higher danger control response than the tailored group.   This finding is inclusive and requires further research.  When separating the adult caregivers into the control (non-tailored) and experimental (tailored) groups by listening style preferences, neither group predicts risk perception. When extrapolated, receiver apprehension does not individually predict risk perception; however, the linear combination of receiver apprehension and the health risk message type (tailored or non-tailored) to a participant’s preferred listening style does predict risk perception indicating danger control processes and an increased likelihood of the decision to obtain an adult pertussis vaccination.   

Implications for research and/or practice:  The implications for practice are many and include a shift from the sender in message framing to the receiver or listener of the health risk message.  Healthcare providers need to evaluate both their own listening skills and the listening skills of their patients in an effort to effectively communicate health risk messages for compliance. Health risk messages tailored to a patient's preferred listening style could assist in more health behavior compliance; yet, more research is needed to further validate using the LSP-16 with the Risk Behavior Diagnosis Scale.