When Do Public Health Epilogues Correct the Influence of Alcohol Story Lines on Youth? The Interplay of Narrative Transportation and Persuasion Knowledge. (July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Russell, Cristel Antonia; Hamby, Anne M.; Grube, Joel W.; Russell, Dale W.
• Is Part Of: Journal of public policy & marketing. Volume 38:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: 316
• Page End: 331
• Publication Date: 2019-07
• Subjects: alcohol -- correction -- narrative transportation -- persuasion knowledge -- teenagers; Marketing -- Periodicals; Marketing -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; 658.802
• DOI: 10.1177/0743915618818567
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0743-9156

Abstract

Youth drinking is a major public health problem. Entertainment content that positively depicts alcohol consumption is often implicated as a factor shaping youths' attitudes and beliefs about drinking alcohol. This research examines whether and under which conditions corrective epilogues can counteract the influence of a television episode featuring positive consequences of drinking. Building on recent research that demonstrates how consumers' persuasion knowledge can increase acceptance of a message, this study finds that persuasion knowledge enhances receptivity to epilogues but only among viewers who are highly transported into the story. The research points to a promising approach to remedy the potentially harmful influence of a story line depicting undesirable behaviors on a vulnerable population.