How does indirect trauma moderate tourist coping strategies and travel intentions?

This study applied the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to investigate how four coping strategies (problem focused, emotion focused, avoidance, and social support seeking) predict travelers’ attitude and behavioral intention in aviation disaster contexts. We conducted a survey of 633 Korean air travelers with media-based exposure to aviation accidents and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. Results showed that emotion-focused coping strategies positively affected attitude, and all TPB components—attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control—positively predicted behavioral intention. Moreover, perceived indirect trauma moderated the effect of avoidance coping and the TPB variables on behavioral intention. These findings expand the TPB framework by incorporating psychological coping and media-induced trauma. Practical implications include the importance of establishing emotional support systems and media exposure management for airline crisis communication during aviation-related disasters.