Emotion und Volition bei regelmäßigem Gesundheitsverhalten: Angst und Planung bei Dentalhygiene mittles Zahnseide

The prediction of health behaviours can be improved by taking into account action planning as well as behavioral intentions. The degree of effectiveness of action planning can depend on the emotional state of the individual, such as experiencing fear. This study therefore aims at examining whether fear influences the effects of action planning on a recurrent preventive health behavior, for example, regular interdental flossing. In a longitudinal survey with three measurement points over a six-week period, 157 participants completed questionnaires assessing intentions, action planning, interdental hygiene, and negative prospective emotions in terms of dental anxiety and fear of injuries by flossing. At the second measurement point, an objective measure of behavior was assessed. The results of hierarchical regression analyses, run separately for the groups of participants high and low in dental anxiety and fear of injuries, imply that negative emotions moderate the effect of action planning on dental flossing. Participants with higher negative emotions profit less from action planning than participants reporting little negative emotion. The implications of these results for interventions and further research are discussed.