ADOLESCENT PROCESSING OF SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL THREAT COMMUNICATIONS

Using the predictions of the ordered protection motivation model (OPM) , the authors examined 371 adolescents' reactions to physical and soci al threat appeals in drug prevention public service announcements. Sen sation seeking was also included in the experiment and analysis. rn su pport of the notion that the social implications of a response to a th reat message influence the message's effectiveness, social threat comm unications were more persuasive than physical threat communications. S ensation seeking emerged as an important variable moderating response to threat communications, supporting the argument that responses may b e due to factors other than the communication itself. In contrast to t he argument that fear arousal is a prerequisite for effective response to threat messages, the authors found fear arousal unnecessary for pe rsuasion to occur. The implications of the findings for the effectiven ess of public service announcements are discussed.