![Sample our Communication Studies journals, sign in here to start your access, 2013 & 2014 volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5927/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Information-Science2.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
This study investigates the relationship between medical drama viewing and medical trust, applying the cultivation theory and using a moderated mediation approach. A multigroup Structural Equation Modeling analysis of survey data on 983 U.S. adults indicates that exposure to medical dramas is positively associated with perceived realism of medical dramas, which in turn is positively associated with trust in physicians in medical dramas, and this trust in physicians in medical dramas is positively associated with trust in physicians in the real world. The study suggests that perceived realism of and trust in physicians in medical dramas mediate the relationship between medical drama viewing and medical trust, with health literacy moderating this cultivation process. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by a University of Missouri-St. Louis Research Award.