Why smokers avoid cigarette pack risk messages: Two randomized clinical trials in the United States

Marissa G. Hall, Jennifer R. Mendel, Seth M. Noar and Noel T. Brewer

Social Science & Medicine, 2018, vol. 213, issue C, 165-172

Abstract: Message avoidance (e.g., trying not to look at the message) may be motivated by reactance, a maladaptive rejection of the message. An alternative view is that avoidance indicates that a message is eliciting fear and other negative affect, thereby increasing the likelihood of behavioral change. We sought to identify which psychological mechanism—reactance or fear and other negative affect—explains message avoidance. We also examined whether avoidance was associated with more forgoing or butting out of cigarettes.

Keywords: Cigarette pack warnings; Pictorial warnings; Avoidance; Defensive processing; Risk messages; Reactance; Fear appeals; Negative affect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:socmed:v:213:y:2018:i:c:p:165-172

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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.049

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