“To disclose or not to disclose, that is the question”: A structural equation modeling approach to communication privacy management in e-health

Driven by communication privacy management (CPM) theory and regulatory focus theory (RFT), this study examined important antecedents of information withholding and truthful disclosure in the novel context of e-health communication. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that health consumers’ behavioral activation system (BAS) and favorable evaluation of an e-health website are positive predictors of truthful disclosure and that health consumers’ prevention regulatory focus and self-concealment tendency are positive predictors of information sensitivity. Theoretical contributions regarding the relevance of CPM and RFT to computer-mediated communication (CMC) and practical implications for the design of persuasive e-health websites are discussed.

► E-health refers to digital resources and practices to support health and health care.
► There is a dialectic relationship between privacy protection and disclosure in e-health.
► Behavioral activation system is a positive predictor of truthful disclosure in e-health.
► Prevention regulatory focus is a positive predictor of information sensitivity in e-health.
► Health professionals need to understand the self-concealment tendency of health consumers.