Kwadwo Sarpong1, Micheal Abimbola Oladosu2*, Moses Adondua Abah3, Anyiku James Nii Amar4 and Bukola Oluwaseyi Olufosoye5
1Department of Communication, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico, USA
2Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Anchor University, Lagos, Nigeria.
3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Federal University of Wukari, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria
4Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health Science, Garden City University, Ghana
5Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences.
Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria
*Corresponding Author:
Received: Apr 15, 2026/ Revised: May 21 2026/Accepted: June 5, 2026
Highlights
- Reviews psychological factors influencing public responses to health risk communication.
- Examines the roles of fear, trust, and risk perception in shaping protective behaviors.
- Highlights institutional trust as a key predictor of public compliance during health crises.
- Evaluates the impacts of misinformation, infodemics, and pandemic fatigue on health behaviors.
- Provides evidence-based recommendations for effective crisis communication and trust-building strategies.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed critical insights into how psychological responses influence public compliance with health recommendations during global health crises. This review examines the complex interplay between fear, trust, and compliance in health risk communication. Drawing on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and contemporary research from 2020–2025, we synthesize findings on how emotional responses, institutional trust, and risk perception shape protective behaviors. While fear can motivate initial protective behaviors, its effectiveness depends critically on concurrent self-efficacy perceptions and institutional trust. The pandemic infodemic significantly eroded public trust in health authorities, reducing compliance with preventive measures. Pandemic fatigue emerged as a major barrier to sustained behavioural change. Trust in governmental and scientific institutions emerged as stronger predictors of compliance than fear appeals alone. We identify three critical domains requiring attention: (1) trust-building communication strategies, (2) infodemic mitigation through media literacy interventions, and (3) sustainable approaches to maintain compliance during prolonged emergencies. This review provides evidence-based recommendations for designing effective health risk communication strategies that leverage psychological insights to optimize public health responses during future global health crises.
Keywords: Health risk communication; Fear; Trust; Public compliance; COVID-19; Protection motivation theory; Pandemic fatigue; Infodemic
How to cite this article
Sarpong, K., Oladosu, M. A., Abah, M. A., Amar, A. J. N., & Olufosoye, B. O. (2026). Psychological responses to health risk communication in the era of global health crises: A review of fear, trust and public compliance. Science Archives, 7(2), 204–212. https://doi.org/10.47587/SA.2026.7219
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License













