ABSTRACT
Although fatal shootings on U.S. college campuses are statistically rare, students are routinely confronted with information suggesting that shootings are rampant and unavoidable. Pre-crisis interventions should address the threat of deceptive claims and restore beliefs that universities are capable of protecting students from violence. This experiment investigated the effectiveness of inoculation-based messages as a complementary approach to pre-crisis strategies for student resilience. Results revealed that, after reading about a simulated shooting, inoculated students had greater certainty and more positive beliefs in a university’s ability to prevent and respond to a shooting. Findings suggest that inoculation can establish a buffer of confidence in an institution’s crisis management infrastructure, even when faced with a shocking tragedy. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Erin B. Hester
Erin B. Hester is Assistant Professor of Integrated Strategic Communication at the University of Kentucky. She studies message-based strategic communication and campaigns to promote a social good with a focus on message-induced affect.
Sarah Geegan
Sarah Geegan (Ph.D., University of Kentucky) is Executive Director of Strategic Communication at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on persuasion, social influence, message design, and social marketing with an applied focus in public relations, health, and crisis.
Bobi Ivanov
Bobi Ivanov (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma) is Professor of Integrated Strategic Communication at the University of Kentucky. He studies strategic message design, consumer behavior, and strategic communication as applied in various contexts including commercial, health, intercultural, instructional/educational, interpersonal, political, and risk/crisis management.