TV Ads Advocating Condom Use among Sexually Active College Students: A Quantitative Analysis of Psychological Reactance on Message Effectiveness, Quality, and Ad Attitudes

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar VI
  In Scholar to Scholar Session: Perceptions of risk in health decision making

Abstract

To better understand psychological reactance and discrete emotions that influence the effectiveness of persuasive messages, this quantitative analysis examines these variables following exposure to TV ads advocating condom use. Though safe sex messages disseminated on popular TV are abundant, risky sexual activity is still enacted by college students. This study explores an array of emotions as antecedents to psychological reactance following exposure to TV ads to better understand the low reported rates of condom usage.

Authors

• Amanda Martinez, Texas A&M University

• Brian Quick, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

• Michael Stephenson, Texas A&M University