Abstract This study investigates beneficial effects of social media communication on encouraging positive health prevention behaviors among U. S. parents. The ongoing 2019 U. S. measles outbreak was the topical focus due to its urgency, highly contagious nature, societal impact, and high relevance to public health. Applying the Extended Parallel Process Model as a theoretical framework, social media expression and reception effects on different prevention intentions were examined along with self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility, and perceived severity as potential mediators. The study found that both social media expression and reception were effective in encouraging preventive hygiene intention, but only through improved self-efficacy and perceived severity. For information seeking intention, both social media expression and reception were effective directly and indirectly through increased susceptibility and severity perceptions of measles infection on their child. Practical implications and study contributions are further discussed.

中文翻译：

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2019年美国麻疹疫情期间社交媒体传播心理影响预防意图

摘要 本研究调查了社交媒体传播对鼓励美国父母积极健康预防行为的有益影响。2019 年美国持续爆发的麻疹疫情因其紧迫性、高度传染性、社会影响以及与公共卫生的高度相关性而成为热点。应用扩展并行过程模型作为理论框架，研究了社交媒体对不同预防意图的表达和接收效果，以及作为潜在中介的自我效能感、感知易感性和感知严重性。研究发现，社交媒体的表达和接受都可以有效地鼓励预防性卫生意图，但只能通过提高自我效能感和感知严重程度来实现。对于信息寻求意图，社交媒体的表达和接受都直接或间接地通过增加对儿童麻疹感染的易感性和严重性感知而产生效果。进一步讨论了实际意义和研究贡献。