Influence of Severity and Susceptibility Information Content on Users’ Psychological Response in Emergencies—The Moderating Effect of Regulatory Focus

Abstract

Information content is crucial for public opinion governance, yet its psychological mechanisms remain unclear. This paper endeavors to bridge this knowledge gap by examining the influence of information content on users’ psychological responses. Drawing insights from the heuristic-systematic model (HSM) and regulatory focus theory, we constructed a novel cognitive and emotional response model. Regression analysis reveals that susceptibility strongly influences primary cognitive responses, while severity affects secondary ones. Susceptibility has a stronger impact on emotional responses than severity. Promotion-focus users are less influenced by severity and susceptibility than prevention-focus users. These results offer valuable insights for emergency management strategies and enhance individuals’ resilience in coping with the psychological toll of emergencies.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work described in this paper has been supported by the project of the Research Topic of Economic and Social Development of Liaoning Province [grant number: 2024lslybkt-124].