Predictors of Exposure From an Antimarijuana Media Campaign: Outcome Research Assessing Sensation Seeking Targeting

Abstract

Using data from a large-scale antimarijuana media campaign, this investigation examined the demographic and psychographic variables associated with exposure to public service announcements designed to target high sensation-seeking adolescents. The literature on sensation seeking indicates that adolescents high in this trait are at greater risk for substance abuse. Analyses assessed the predictive utility of various risk and protective factors, normative influences, demographic variables, and marijuana-related attitudes, intentions, and behaviors on campaign message exposure. Results confirm that level of sensation seeking was positively associated with greater message exposure. In addition, viewers reporting greater exposure were younger adolescents who indicated that they had poor family relations, promarijuana attitudes, and friends and family who used marijuana. Implications for designing future antimarijuana messages based on these findings are discussed.