Extended parallel process model

The extended parallel process model (EPPM) is a fear appeal theory developed by communications scholar Kim Witte that illustrates how individuals react to fear-inducing messages.

They find their use in public health campaigns and political adverts, and are designed to fit three main categories: message, behaviour, and the audience.

Appraisal Theory states that an individual makes either an emotional or affective response to external stimuli.

SBCC methods in healthcare, education, and marketing have employed the EPPM to induce behavioural change in patients and customers.

[7] Other usages of EPPM lie in shaping public perceptions, such as in political adverts, climate change messages, and pandemic responses.

[8][9] While the EPPM has been effective in health campaigns and behavioural change interventions, there are limitations that have been pointed out through rigorous meta-analytical studies.

Reviews have highlighted the many applications of the EPPM model in its 20 years since initial publication [10] but significant theoretical questions on the operationalization of key constructs remain and not all of its hypotheses have received empirical support.

[11] Lucy Popova's 'The Extended Parallel Process Model: Illuminating the Gaps in Research', is an extensive review on the theoretical and empirical applications of the EPPM.