From Regulatory Focus to the Intention to Purchase Private Health Insurance: An Integrated Model

Our knowledge of how different psychological dimensions and processes concur to develop the intention to purchase health insurance is still limited. In the present study, we tested an integrated model to assess how individual differences in regulatory focus are related to the intention to purchase voluntary health insurance, via the mediation of anticipated emotions and financial risk attitude. Participants (N = 334) filled in a self-report online questionnaire, assessing the hypothesized predictors of health insurance purchase, namely promotion and prevention regulatory focus, risk attitudes, anticipated outcomes and emotions. Participants’ intention to purchase health insurance was then assessed. An integrated structural equation model showed that promotion focus was positively associated with intention either via positive anticipated outcomes and emotions or via risk seeking and financial risk attitude. Instead, prevention focus was negatively associated with intention via risk seeking and financial risk attitude. Our integrated model paves the way to a better understanding of the psychological dimensions and processes underlying the intention to purchase voluntary health insurance.