A Meta-Analysis of Parasocial Relationships and Health: Examining Theoretical Mechanisms, Health Outcomes, and Moderating Factors

This meta-analysis reviews the literature on parasocial relationships (PSRs) and their association with health from 1979 to 2024. While previous work has established PSRs as influential in persuasive contexts, their specific role in health outcomes remains unclear. In a review of 58 studies, this meta-analysis finds that PSRs are positively associated with both beneficial and harmful health attitudes as well as with health information seeking and sharing. Supporting existing theoretical accounts, PSRs are positively correlated with variables that facilitate health outcomes, including perceived source credibility, risk perceptions, and self-efficacy, yet negatively correlated with resistance to persuasion. Moderation analyses reveal that the type of health condition, media personality, and use of experimental stimuli have a significant influence on the relationship between PSRs and health outcomes. These results extend our theoretical understanding of parasocial relationships in health contexts and offer practical implications for health communication practitioners, including the potential for PSRs to be leveraged for health behavior change while being mindful of potential harmful effects.