Thesis
Self-affirmation, mindfulness, and health messages
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Feb 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-6820
Abstract
Many people die of conditions caused by unhealthy behavior. Governments and health agencies fight unhealthy behavior through public health messages, but these messages are least effective for precisely the individuals they are designed to reach: those at high risk. Self-affirmation theory suggests that at-risk individuals become defensive toward health messages to protect their sense of self-integrity. Prior research shows that self-affirmation interventions-interventions designed to bolster self-integrity-produce positive change in measures reflecting the depth at which a health message is processed. Despite this empirical success, it has not been possible to verify that self-affirmation interventions are effective because they target self-integrity. We tested the efficacy of an alternate intervention-mindfulness-that could potentially decrease defensiveness toward health information without targeting self-integrity. A second aim was to test whether three candidate moderators-trait mindfulness, self-esteem, and activity in the behavioral activation system-in fact co-varied with the interventions or with change in the dependent variables. Sexually-active undergraduate students (N = 103) from Drexel University were administered a self-affirmation (n = 37), mindfulness (n = 33), or control (n = 33) intervention, watched a health message about risk for sexually transmitted infection, and then completed four dependent measures to assess the depth at which they had processed the health message. Surprisingly, neither participants in the self-affirmation nor mindfulness conditions showed enhanced message processing relative to control participants. Also, none of the candidate moderators meaningfully co-varied with the interventions. We discuss the null findings in this adequately powered study in light of two recent meta-analyses showing that self-affirmation produces smaller and more inconsistent effects in a health message context than the earlier literature suggested.
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Details
- Title
- Self-affirmation, mindfulness, and health messages
- Creators
- Peter F. Hitchcock - DU
- Contributors
- James D. Herbert (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)Evan M. Forman (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 6820; 991014632509004721