Elena Link
Biographic Data
| ID | 208629 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Elena Link |
| GIVEN NAMES | Elena |
| FAMILY NAME | Link |
| SIGNATURE | LINK E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6861-5288 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 4 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 22 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The Role of Physical and Mental Health Conditions in Explaining Health Information Seeking and Avoidance Behaviors
Information seeking and avoidance are important coping strategies for individuals dealing with mental and physical health conditions. To explore the mechanisms behind these behaviors, this study applies the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM). An online survey of 1,327 individuals with mental or physical health conditions found more similarities than differences in the predictors of both seeking and avoidance behaviors across these gro…
A Scoping Review to Clarify the Concept of Information Avoidance and Its Postulated and Examined Consequences
Scholars from various academic disciplines have discussed the growing issue of information avoidance and its adverse consequences. To bring together different perspectives, clarify this phenomenon, and explore its consequences, a scoping review was conducted. A total of 206 articles met the stipulated inclusion criteria. The review consolidated definitions of related terms and defined information avoidance as any (in)action intended to delay or p…
The Reciprocity of Discrete Emotions and Health Information Seeking and Avoidance
Although health information behaviors are commonly assumed to serve an emotion-regulating function, the present state of research focuses on emotions as predictors of these behaviors. The reciprocal relationship between emotions and seeking or avoiding information remains incompletely understood. By employing an experience sampling study to identify real-life situations in which individuals engage in information behaviors, the current study offer…
Single Episodes of Health Information Seeking, Scanning, and Avoidance
Health information behaviors are situational and dynamic in nature. Being confronted with illness-related uncertainty in a specific situation, certain individuals might consistently or temporarily seek, scan, or avoid information and combine these strategies. Relying on an Experience Sampling Method Design study repeatedly querying N = 383 acutely or chronically ill individuals, the study provides a situational view on health information behavior…
Social support through shared experiences
This study explores the role of social support for implant patients, focusing on interactions with others who share similar experiences. Based on qualitative interviews with 32 orthopedic and cochlear implant patients, it examines the reasons for establishing peer relations and the evaluation of the support received. Different relationship types (bilateral, group-based, and parasocial) were theoretically derived and compared. The results demonstr…
Turning off Populism? Applying the Theory of Motivated Information Management on Political Information Avoidance
Informed citizens play a critical role in deliberative democracy. However, contemporary challenges in the political information environment, including digitalization, fragmentation, and misinformation, can contribute to political information avoidance. This study investigates the predictors of the decision-making process leading to disengagement from information about populism. The Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM) was applied to …
Explaining Behavioral Manifestations of Online Health Information Seeking by Psycho-Motivational Predictors
For an increasing share of individuals, the Internet is a primary source for health information seeking. While prior research has largely depended on self-reports or aggregated search data, both approaches face limitations in accuracy and granularity. Building on recent advances in user-centric tracking, this study examines behavioral manifestations of online health information-seeking behaviors (HISB) using 3 months of tracking data from 728 Ger…
Information Avoidance in the Context of Mental Health
471) among individuals currently experiencing depressive symptoms. The refined PRIA model accounted for 54.8% of the variance in avoidance intention, with attitudes toward avoidance and avoidance-related subjective norms serving as the strongest predictors of avoidance intention. Furthermore, cognitive load and anticipated regret over seeking information were found to be positively related to avoidance. These findings highlight the importance of …
Mental Models of Smart Implant Technology
Public understanding of medical innovations such as smart technology is decisive for its acceptance and implementation. Thus, it is important to understand what visions people develop of a technology based on initial information such as the label. We chose smart implants as an example and conducted qualitative interviews with 47 former implant patients to record their mental models after exposing them to the idea of smart implants through a vigne…
Explaining Seeking, Scanning, and Avoidance of Information About the Mammography-Screening
Whether individuals engage with or avoid health information and which sources are used is crucial for informed decision-making about mammography. Therefore, we aim to develop a typology of mammography-related information behaviors and explore their determinants, which were derived from the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM). Based on a two-wave online survey of a sample of German women aged 40 to 69 years (N = 1,138), a cluster ana…
Predicting Health Information Avoidance Intentions and Behaviors
Given the increasing scholarly attention to health information avoidance, the current study offers a more nuanced perspective on this communication phenomenon by predicting avoidance intention and behavior and examining their interrelationship. Guided by a reduced version of the proposed model of planned risk information avoidance (PRIA), a combination of a pre-survey capturing the predictors of avoidance intention and an in-situ measurement of a…
AI at everyone’s fingertips? Identifying the predictors of health information seeking intentions using AI
The advent of AI tools has the potential to transform how health information is sought, which increases the need for insights into why individuals turn to AI. The study, guided by channel-specific predictors covered by the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model, additionally considers trust and risk perceptions toward AI, and examines the predictors of one’s AI-seeking intention. The results of an online survey (N = 1,121) indicated that attitude…
The Planned Risk Information Seeking Model Applied to Vaccine Information Avoidance and the Role of Affect, Emotion and Perceived Benefits
1,508), we examined intentions to avoid information about vaccination against COVID-19. The study was guided by the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM), also taking into consideration benefit perceptions, positive affective responses, and discrete emotions. Our findings generally supported the utility of the extended PRISM to predict information avoidance intentions; most of the hypothesized relationships were supported and the model a…
Health Information as “Fodder for Fears”
As not all individuals are willing to pay attention to health information it is crucial to understand and distinguish the underlying motives and the scope of various nonuse behaviors.To increase conceptual clarity and specify theoretical assumptions about the types of nonuse of health information and their determinants, we used a qualitative research approach.Semi-structured interviews with 11 female, 10 male, and 10 non-binary participants aged …
Search Engine Use for Health-Related Purposes
Internet searches for health-related purposes are common, with search engines like Google being the most popular starting point. However, results on the popularity of health information-seeking behaviors are based on self-report data, often criticized for suffering from incomplete recall, overreporting, and low reliability. Therefore, the current study builds on user-centric tracking of Internet use to reveal how individuals actually behave onlin…
Clarifying the Relationship Between Information Seeking and Avoidance
Information seeking and avoidance are relevant behaviors to cope with health crises. While there are various assumptions about their relationship, past research has not yet analyzed their interplay. The present study aims to clarify the relationship between information seeking and avoidance in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light on whether both behaviors are impacted by seeking- and avoidance-related norms, which are known factors …
Health Information Repertoires of Implant Patients
Health information-seeking behavior can be understood as an active and purposeful acquisition of information from selected information sources. It supports patients to cope with medical and health-related uncertainties and enables them to engage in informed decision-making. To obtain health information, patients can turn to a variety of sources, such as going to a physician, exchanging information with their family, or using different Internet so…
What Drives or Inhibits Individuals’ Intention to Seek Information About Medical Innovations? Findings From an Online Survey Among German Residents
Innovation research fighting for public attention and counteracting science-skeptical views raise the need for insights into why individuals are motivated to engage with scientific knowledge. Guided by the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM), additionally considering mistrust in science and innovativeness, the study aimed to explain individuals’ intention to seek information about medical innovations. Findings of an online survey among…
Avoidance of Interpersonal Discussions About the Covid-19 Vaccination
1,328), we examined the effectiveness of the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM) in explaining avoidant information management among family and friends, in the context of the COVID-19 vaccination. Our results generally supported the TMIM's utility as a theoretical framework for understanding avoidant information management, as the model fitted the data well. The study contributes to the theoretical development of the TMIM, by provin…
Vaccine-related discussions in online communities for parents. A quantitative overview, 2012–2019
Vaccinations are a medical success story. However, many individuals still experience doubts, which challenge vaccine compliance. Online communities for parents are important sources for the discussion about vaccination with similar others. They serve as social support platforms, where parents exchange informational, emotional, and esteem support. Our study provides a structured overview of vaccine-related online discussions of parents. The conten…
Credibility and Enjoyment through Data? Effects of Statistical Information and Data Visualizations on Message Credibility and Reading Experience
News organizations, journalists, and scholars are searching for ways to increase the perceived message credibility of the stories they produce. With the aim to evaluate the potentials of data-based storytelling formats, we build on message credibility research and investigate how features of message content such as the use of different presentation formats of statistical information and data visualizations affect news users’ message credibility j…
Exploratory Research Focusing on Oral Cancer Prevention
Oral cancer is a considerable public health problem, and a low level of awareness and knowledge about this tumor and its risk factors is prevalent. To gain a profound understanding of risks groups and to identify suitable communication strategies for a prevention campaign in Northern Germany, an exploratory research was realized. In semistructured face-to-face interviews, the participants of the study ( n = 28) described their individual oral can…
Credibility and Enjoyment through Data? Effects of Statistical Information and Data Visualizations on Message Credibility and Reading Experience
News organizations, journalists, and scholars are searching for ways to increase the perceived message credibility of the stories they produce. With the aim to evaluate the potentials of data-based storytelling formats, we build on message credibility research and investigate how features of message content such as the use of different presentation formats of statistical information and data visualizations affect news users’ message credibility j…
Exploratory Research Focusing on Oral Cancer Prevention
Oral cancer is a considerable public health problem, and a low level of awareness and knowledge about this tumor and its risk factors is prevalent. To gain a profound understanding of risks groups and to identify suitable communication strategies for a prevention campaign in Northern Germany, an exploratory research was realized. In semistructured face-to-face interviews, the participants of the study ( n = 28) described their individual oral can…
Credibility and Enjoyment through Data? Effects of Statistical Information and Data Visualizations on Message Credibility and Reading Experience
News organizations, journalists, and scholars are searching for ways to increase the perceived message credibility of the stories they produce. With the aim to evaluate the potentials of data-based storytelling formats, we build on message credibility research and investigate how features of message content such as the use of different presentation formats of statistical information and data visualizations affect news users’ message credibility j…
Vaccine-related discussions in online communities for parents. A quantitative overview, 2012–2019
Vaccinations are a medical success story. However, many individuals still experience doubts, which challenge vaccine compliance. Online communities for parents are important sources for the discussion about vaccination with similar others. They serve as social support platforms, where parents exchange informational, emotional, and esteem support. Our study provides a structured overview of vaccine-related online discussions of parents. The conten…
Avoidance of Interpersonal Discussions About the Covid-19 Vaccination
1,328), we examined the effectiveness of the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM) in explaining avoidant information management among family and friends, in the context of the COVID-19 vaccination. Our results generally supported the TMIM's utility as a theoretical framework for understanding avoidant information management, as the model fitted the data well. The study contributes to the theoretical development of the TMIM, by provin…
The Planned Risk Information Seeking Model Applied to Vaccine Information Avoidance and the Role of Affect, Emotion and Perceived Benefits
1,508), we examined intentions to avoid information about vaccination against COVID-19. The study was guided by the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM), also taking into consideration benefit perceptions, positive affective responses, and discrete emotions. Our findings generally supported the utility of the extended PRISM to predict information avoidance intentions; most of the hypothesized relationships were supported and the model a…
Health Information as “Fodder for Fears”
As not all individuals are willing to pay attention to health information it is crucial to understand and distinguish the underlying motives and the scope of various nonuse behaviors.To increase conceptual clarity and specify theoretical assumptions about the types of nonuse of health information and their determinants, we used a qualitative research approach.Semi-structured interviews with 11 female, 10 male, and 10 non-binary participants aged …
Search Engine Use for Health-Related Purposes
Internet searches for health-related purposes are common, with search engines like Google being the most popular starting point. However, results on the popularity of health information-seeking behaviors are based on self-report data, often criticized for suffering from incomplete recall, overreporting, and low reliability. Therefore, the current study builds on user-centric tracking of Internet use to reveal how individuals actually behave onlin…
Clarifying the Relationship Between Information Seeking and Avoidance
Information seeking and avoidance are relevant behaviors to cope with health crises. While there are various assumptions about their relationship, past research has not yet analyzed their interplay. The present study aims to clarify the relationship between information seeking and avoidance in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light on whether both behaviors are impacted by seeking- and avoidance-related norms, which are known factors …
Health Information Repertoires of Implant Patients
Health information-seeking behavior can be understood as an active and purposeful acquisition of information from selected information sources. It supports patients to cope with medical and health-related uncertainties and enables them to engage in informed decision-making. To obtain health information, patients can turn to a variety of sources, such as going to a physician, exchanging information with their family, or using different Internet so…
What Drives or Inhibits Individuals’ Intention to Seek Information About Medical Innovations? Findings From an Online Survey Among German Residents
Innovation research fighting for public attention and counteracting science-skeptical views raise the need for insights into why individuals are motivated to engage with scientific knowledge. Guided by the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM), additionally considering mistrust in science and innovativeness, the study aimed to explain individuals’ intention to seek information about medical innovations. Findings of an online survey among…
Mental Models of Smart Implant Technology
Public understanding of medical innovations such as smart technology is decisive for its acceptance and implementation. Thus, it is important to understand what visions people develop of a technology based on initial information such as the label. We chose smart implants as an example and conducted qualitative interviews with 47 former implant patients to record their mental models after exposing them to the idea of smart implants through a vigne…
Explaining Seeking, Scanning, and Avoidance of Information About the Mammography-Screening
Whether individuals engage with or avoid health information and which sources are used is crucial for informed decision-making about mammography. Therefore, we aim to develop a typology of mammography-related information behaviors and explore their determinants, which were derived from the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM). Based on a two-wave online survey of a sample of German women aged 40 to 69 years (N = 1,138), a cluster ana…
Predicting Health Information Avoidance Intentions and Behaviors
Given the increasing scholarly attention to health information avoidance, the current study offers a more nuanced perspective on this communication phenomenon by predicting avoidance intention and behavior and examining their interrelationship. Guided by a reduced version of the proposed model of planned risk information avoidance (PRIA), a combination of a pre-survey capturing the predictors of avoidance intention and an in-situ measurement of a…
AI at everyone’s fingertips? Identifying the predictors of health information seeking intentions using AI
The advent of AI tools has the potential to transform how health information is sought, which increases the need for insights into why individuals turn to AI. The study, guided by channel-specific predictors covered by the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model, additionally considers trust and risk perceptions toward AI, and examines the predictors of one’s AI-seeking intention. The results of an online survey (N = 1,121) indicated that attitude…
The Role of Physical and Mental Health Conditions in Explaining Health Information Seeking and Avoidance Behaviors
Information seeking and avoidance are important coping strategies for individuals dealing with mental and physical health conditions. To explore the mechanisms behind these behaviors, this study applies the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM). An online survey of 1,327 individuals with mental or physical health conditions found more similarities than differences in the predictors of both seeking and avoidance behaviors across these gro…
A Scoping Review to Clarify the Concept of Information Avoidance and Its Postulated and Examined Consequences
Scholars from various academic disciplines have discussed the growing issue of information avoidance and its adverse consequences. To bring together different perspectives, clarify this phenomenon, and explore its consequences, a scoping review was conducted. A total of 206 articles met the stipulated inclusion criteria. The review consolidated definitions of related terms and defined information avoidance as any (in)action intended to delay or p…
The Reciprocity of Discrete Emotions and Health Information Seeking and Avoidance
Although health information behaviors are commonly assumed to serve an emotion-regulating function, the present state of research focuses on emotions as predictors of these behaviors. The reciprocal relationship between emotions and seeking or avoiding information remains incompletely understood. By employing an experience sampling study to identify real-life situations in which individuals engage in information behaviors, the current study offer…
Single Episodes of Health Information Seeking, Scanning, and Avoidance
Health information behaviors are situational and dynamic in nature. Being confronted with illness-related uncertainty in a specific situation, certain individuals might consistently or temporarily seek, scan, or avoid information and combine these strategies. Relying on an Experience Sampling Method Design study repeatedly querying N = 383 acutely or chronically ill individuals, the study provides a situational view on health information behavior…
Social support through shared experiences
This study explores the role of social support for implant patients, focusing on interactions with others who share similar experiences. Based on qualitative interviews with 32 orthopedic and cochlear implant patients, it examines the reasons for establishing peer relations and the evaluation of the support received. Different relationship types (bilateral, group-based, and parasocial) were theoretically derived and compared. The results demonstr…
Turning off Populism? Applying the Theory of Motivated Information Management on Political Information Avoidance
Informed citizens play a critical role in deliberative democracy. However, contemporary challenges in the political information environment, including digitalization, fragmentation, and misinformation, can contribute to political information avoidance. This study investigates the predictors of the decision-making process leading to disengagement from information about populism. The Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM) was applied to …
Explaining Behavioral Manifestations of Online Health Information Seeking by Psycho-Motivational Predictors
For an increasing share of individuals, the Internet is a primary source for health information seeking. While prior research has largely depended on self-reports or aggregated search data, both approaches face limitations in accuracy and granularity. Building on recent advances in user-centric tracking, this study examines behavioral manifestations of online health information-seeking behaviors (HISB) using 3 months of tracking data from 728 Ger…
Information Avoidance in the Context of Mental Health
471) among individuals currently experiencing depressive symptoms. The refined PRIA model accounted for 54.8% of the variance in avoidance intention, with attitudes toward avoidance and avoidance-related subjective norms serving as the strongest predictors of avoidance intention. Furthermore, cognitive load and anticipated regret over seeking information were found to be positively related to avoidance. These findings highlight the importance of …
Psychology (16 works) · Information seeking (14 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Misinformation and Its Impacts (10 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility (8 works) · Information seeking behavior (8 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Behavioral Health and Interventions (7 works) · Anxiety (5 works)