The Opposing Mediational Effects of Apprehensive Threat and Motivational Threat When Inoculating Against Reactance to Health Promotion

ABSTRACT

This investigation assessed how a threatening inoculation forewarning about psychological reactance affected message targets’ derogation of a subsequent health appeal. A two-mediator model showed that apprehensive threat—the traditional operationalization of inoculation’s psychological function based on fear arousal—and motivational threat—an alternative operationalization of inoculation’s psychological function based on the activation of thoughtful counterargumention—both significantly intervened between the experimental inoculation treatment and message derogation, with motivation leading to less and apprehension leading to more derogation of the health appeal. The inconsistent mediational effects were of equal magnitude, which masked the significant indirect effects of inoculation as a null total effect. Theoretical and methodological implications of these results are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Binge drinking
• inoculation
• opposing mediation
• reactance
• threat

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. A post-test manipulation check of perceived threat to freedom did not significantly differ between high (M = 2.70, SD = 1.15) and low (M = 2.76, SD = 1.12) freedom-threatening language groups, F(1, 180) = 0.12, p = .73, η_p² = .00.