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.

These four key factors, as defined by the EPPM, predict the likely outcome of communications that involve a fear appeal.

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.