Fear of Pharmaceutical Side-Effects

What it measures

A five-item scale measuring the intensity of fear a consumer experiences toward the potential side-effect consequences of a specific medication. Items contain two blanks — one for the side-effect type and one for the medication — and span fright, terror, fear-inducing thoughts, appalment, and dread. The scale captures the threat appraisal component of health risk communication and is designed for research on pharmaceutical adherence, health framing, and consumer responses to drug risk information.

Representative items

• I am frightened by the consequences of _____ that may be caused by _____.
• The consequences of _____ that may be caused by _____ terrify me.

Citation

Wong, Nancy, Lin Su, and Michael H. B. Lam (2020). Promoting medication adherence through message framing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 138–158.