Self-affirmation and defensive processing of graphic cigarette warning labels by African American smokers: A community-based study

Objective: Promoting smoking cessation through effective health messaging among African American smokers is of great urgency as African Americans suffer disproportionally more from smoking-related diseases compared to White smokers. This research examines the potential impact of self-affirmation on reducing defensive processing of graphic cigarette warning labels among African American smokers. Method: We conducted an experimental study in which participants were instructed to self-affirm (or not) prior to viewing graphic cigarette warning labels. Results: We found that although self-affirmation had no main effect on defensive processing, it interacted with initial/preexisting attitudes towards smoking to influence defensive responses such as message derogation and perceived message manipulation. For participants with more positive initial attitudes towards smoking, self-affirmation led to reduced message derogation and perceived message manipulation. For these individuals, we also found an indirect effect of self-affirmation on intentions to quit smoking through perceived message manipulation. Self-affirmation had largely no effects on participants with less positive initial attitudes towards smoking. Conclusion: The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Effects of self-affirmation on responses toward graphic cigarette warning labels: testing the mediating role of perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy

Health Education ◽

10.1108/he-06-2020-0039 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Zexin Ma ◽

Xiaoli Nan ◽

Irina A. Iles ◽

James Butler ◽

Robert Feldman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Warning Labels ◽

Perceived Susceptibility ◽

Content Type ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Stop Smoking ◽

Intentions To Quit ◽

Susceptibility To Smoking

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effects of self-affirmation on African American smokers' intentions to quit smoking sooner and desire to stop smoking altogether in response to viewing graphic cigarette warning labels. It also tested the mediating role of perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy in explaining the impact of self-affirmation.Design/methodology/approachAfrican American smokers (N = 158) were recruited to participate in a controlled experiment. Participants first completed a short questionnaire about their demographic background and smoking-related attitudes and behavior. They were then randomly assigned to engage in either a self-affirmation task or a control task and viewed two graphic cigarette warning labels subsequently. Participants then responded to a questionnaire about their perceived susceptibility to smoking-related diseases, perceived self-efficacy to quit smoking, intentions to quit smoking and desire to stop smoking altogether.FindingsResults showed that engaging in self-affirmation prior to exposure to graphic cigarette warning labels increased African American smokers' perceived susceptibility to smoking-related diseases, but decreased their perceived self-efficacy to quit smoking. Furthermore, self-affirmation indirectly enhanced smokers' intentions to quit smoking sooner and desire to stop smoking altogether through increased perceived susceptibility. It also had an unexpected negative indirect effect on intentions to quit smoking sooner through decreased self-efficacy.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few studies that investigates the effect of self-affirmation on African American smokers' responses toward graphic cigarette warning labels.

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Higher negative emotions in response to cigarette pictorial warning labels predict higher quit intentions among smokers

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055116 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. tobaccocontrol-2019-055116 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yachao Li ◽

Bo Yang ◽

Daniel Owusu ◽

Lucy Popova

Keyword(s):

Drug Administration ◽

Food And Drug Administration ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

Warning Labels ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Intentions To Quit ◽

Quit Intentions ◽

Different Levels

BackgroundCigarette pictorial warning labels (PWLs) could produce stronger quit intentions than text-only warning labels (TWLs) due to greater emotional arousal. Yet, it remains unclear whether PWLs that elicit different levels of emotions produce different outcomes. To better understand the role of negative emotions in the effects of PWLs, this study developed two sets of PWLs arousing different emotional levels (high vs low) but equally high on informativeness and compared them to each other and to the current TWLs.MethodsAdult US smokers (n=1503) were randomised to view nine high-emotion-arousing or low-emotion-arousing PWLs or TWLs. After each label, participants reported the negative emotions they felt while looking at the label. After seeing all the labels, participants reported their intentions to quit smoking. Mediation analyses tested whether message condition influenced quit intentions indirectly through negative emotions.ResultsCompared with TWLs, PWLs produced higher levels of negative emotions (b=0.27, SE=0.04, p<0.001). Compared with low-emotion arousing PWLs, high-emotion-arousing PWLs produced higher levels of negative emotions (b=0.24, SE=0.07, p<0.001). Higher negative emotions predicted stronger quit intentions (b=0.20, SE=0.03, p<0.001). Negative emotions mediated the effects of PWLs versus TWLs and high-emotion-arousing versus low- emotion-arousing PWLs on quit intentions.ConclusionsThe results provide additional evidence for negative emotions as the mechanism through which PWLs motivate smokers to consider quitting. The findings call on the Food and Drug Administration to design and implement high-emotion-arousing cigarette warning labels.

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Self-affirmation and responses to cigarette warning labels: The moderating role of message strength

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/13591053211012758 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 135910532110127

Author(s):

Meryem Kaynak Malatyalı ◽

Guido M Van Koningsbruggen ◽

Ayda Büyükşahin Sunal

Keyword(s):

Warning Labels ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Intentions To Quit ◽

Moderating Role ◽

Quit Intentions

The present research investigated whether message strength moderates the effect of self-affirmation on reactions given to cigarette warning labels. Three hundred eighty-four female (Study 1) and 383 male (Study 2) smokers completed a self-affirmation manipulation and then evaluated either strong or weak warning labels in terms of message derogation. Next, they reported their intentions to quit smoking. Only for the male sample, message strength moderated the effect of self-affirmation on message derogation. However, message strength did not have a moderating role on both message derogation and quit intentions for the female sample and on quit intentions for the male sample.

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The Effects of Graphic Warning Labels’ Vividness on Message Engagement and Intentions to Quit Smoking

Communication Research ◽

10.1177/0093650217700226 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 46 (5) ◽

pp. 619-638 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Yotam Ophir ◽

Emily Brennan ◽

Erin K. Maloney ◽

Joseph N. Cappella

Keyword(s):

Warning Labels ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Intentions To Quit ◽

Graphic Warning

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Train the Trainer: A Community-Based Approach to Empowering African American Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e539652007-001 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Ravi R. Mehta ◽

Kathryn Castle ◽

Deborah A. King

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Community Based ◽

Train The Trainer ◽

Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren

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Evaluation of Community-Based Program for African-American Males: The Real Men, Real Heroes Project

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e628592012-042 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Felecia Arlene Lee ◽

Rhonda Lewis-Moss ◽

Jamilia Sly ◽

Shani Roberts

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

African American Males ◽

Community Based ◽

The Real

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Some Practical Implications for Policy and Practice

10.1093/oso/9780198718895.003.0008 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ralph Henham

Keyword(s):

Public Opinion ◽

Working Relationship ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Community Based ◽

England And Wales ◽

National Regulation ◽

Probation Service ◽

Practical Implications

This chapter explains the practical consequences of what has been proposed. It begins by evaluating current models and suggested approaches for incorporating public opinion into sentencing, explaining how the proposed changes would differ. It then sets out some practical reforms to sentencing in England and Wales, including greater coordination between the national regulation of sentencing discretion through the Sentencing Council and regional or community-based sentencing practices. Regional branches of the Sentencing Council are also advocated. In addition to further practical reforms, a greater role for the Sentencing Council in the ethical surveillance of sentencing, the development of new procedural rules, and enhanced training for judges and magistrates are proposed. Finally, a closer working relationship between the Sentencing Council, the courts, the CPS, defence lawyers, and the Probation Service is advocated to develop guidance clarifying their role within the new sentencing framework.

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African American men who become mental health advocates

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/00207640211012736 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002076402110127

Author(s):

Sandra Yaklin ◽

Miyong Kim ◽

Jacklyn Hecht

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

African American ◽

African Americans ◽

Intervention Program ◽

African American Men ◽

Working Relationships ◽

Major Theme ◽

Community Based ◽

Tailored Messages ◽

Promote Mental Health

Using a narrative approach, this study explored how African American men became mental health advocates. This ancillary study is part of a formative within an ongoing community based intervention program that was designed to promote mental health of African Americans (AMEN) project within an ongoing community based intervention program that was designed to promote mental health of African Americans (AMEN) project. Narrative research techniques were used to analyze and synthesize the data. Analysis generated one major theme (interdependence) with four supporting sub-themes (credibility, social depression, stigma, and calling). These findings and insights through this qualitative study guided the AMEN project team to formulate effective communication strategies in establishing working relationships with community partners and wider stakeholders as well as crafting culturally tailored messages for African American participants.

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