A qualitative study of risk construction and perceptions among a sample of mothers with young children

Risk communication is not a simple process to understand, given that the knowledge regarding many risks is uncertain; people vary in their understanding, evaluation, and acceptance of risks; and any actions taken to reduce risks often involve tradeoffs of some sort. This study explores risk construction and perceptions of a sample of mothers with young children. The central research question was, How do people assign meaning to potential hazards? The path of discovery in answering this question provided insights into what hazards people worry about and why. The why question is particularly important in revealing the meaning that people have regarding hazards. As the participants revealed how they come to know certain things, gather available information, and evaluate situations, they also provided insights into what kinds and forms of information are of interest and use to them as well as what their media uses are. The goal of qualitative-based research is to seek understanding as people understand their world. An assumption is that people can best be understood by examining their views as learned through their own words and trains of thought. This study was shaped by the symbolic interactionist perspective. The structured in-depth interview provided a forum to capture the richness of qualitative open-ended responses but also enabled the researcher to direct the interview so that the process or issues under study could be the focus of conversation. The participants revealed that risks are constructed through interaction with themselves as well as with others. Their life situation, which in this study is labeled parenting, is a major influence on the interactions. The interactions in turn influence how the participants define their life situations to themselves. Many influencing considerations such as personal relevance, time, convenience, and control are involved in the participants' evaluations of perceived actions and decisions about the actions they ultimately chose. Implications are presented for communicators, assessors, and researchers of risk.