It is time that matters in crisis communication: The role of temporal distance and crisis threat appraisal

•Temporal crisis distance refers to perception of when negative crisis influences are realized.•Temporal crisis distance plays a role in determining situational demands, which in turn influences crisis responses.•In a health crisis, it is important to create environments where an organization interacts with publics, which likely help it to obtain publics’ support.•Crisis management efforts need to be aligned with the level of temporal crisis distance and situational demands.•Public relations practitioners need to put effective efforts to deal with intensified unfavorable crisis emotions among publics.