A sequential messaging approach that first destabilized resistance to prevention messages and then delivered tailored gain-framed communications reduced cannabis use intentions in at-risk adolescents who perceived cannabis use as normative.
Prevention program designers, public health communicators, school-based intervention developers
Tailored gain-framed messages reduced cannabis use intentions at 2-month follow-up
What the researchers found
In Study 1 (N=808), at-risk adolescents who perceived cannabis use as normative showed lowest usage intentions after receiving a tailored gain-framed message. In Study 2 (N=391), at-risk teens with normative beliefs and pro-cannabis attitudes who received the tailored gain-framed communication showed decreased cannabis attitude certainty and lower usage intentions 2 months later.
Why it matters
Most cannabis prevention campaigns fail because they use one-size-fits-all messaging. This study demonstrates that tailoring messages to individual beliefs about peer norms and using sequential persuasion strategies can improve effectiveness for the hardest-to-reach youth.
The numbers in context
Study 1: N=808, ages 11-16; Study 2: N=391; gain-framed tailored message produced lowest usage intentions (p<0.05); effects sustained at 2-month follow-up (p<0.05)
How the study worked
Two studies with cannabis-abstinent middle and high school students ages 11-16. Study 1 compared gain- and loss-framed messages tailored to normative perceptions. Study 2 used a sequential approach: first destabilizing anti-message attitudes through rebuttal feedback, then delivering tailored vs. non-tailored messages. Follow-up at 2 months.
What this study cannot tell us
Only cannabis-abstinent students were included, so effects on actual users are unknown. Florida-based samples may not generalize nationally. Self-reported intentions may not translate to behavior. 2-month follow-up is relatively short.
How to read the evidence
Two complementary experimental studies with adequate sample sizes and follow-up, though limited to cannabis-abstinent youth.
When this study was published
Published in 2021.
The bigger picture
The approach of first weakening resistance and then delivering personalized messages represents a more sophisticated prevention strategy that could be scaled through digital platforms where real-time tailoring is feasible.
Questions still open
- Would this approach work for adolescents who have already tried cannabis? Can digital platforms deliver this sequential messaging strategy at scale?
Common questions
What made the messages effective?
What is a gain-framed message?
Read the original research
A Rebuttal-Based Social Norms-Tailored Cannabis Intervention for At-Risk Adolescents.
Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 22(5), 609-620
Citation
Donaldson, Candice D; Alvaro, Eusebio M; Ruybal, Andrea L; Coleman, Michael; Siegel, Jason T; Crano, William D. (2021). A Rebuttal-Based Social Norms-Tailored Cannabis Intervention for At-Risk Adolescents.. Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 22(5), 609-620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01224-9
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