Narrative messages are increasingly being used in the field of tobacco prevention. Our study is based on narrative persuasion and aims to analyze the psychological mechanisms that explain why the narrative voice is relevant to promote persuasive impact. An online experiment with a 2 (narrative voice) × 2 (message) factorial design was carried out. Participants (525 adult smokers) were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions (first-person versus third-person narrative message). To increase the external validity of the study, two different messages were used within each condition. After reading the narrative message the mediating and dependent variables were evaluated. Participants who read the narrative in the first person experienced greater identification. Moreover, mediational analysis showed that both counterarguing and cognitive elaboration played a significant role in the relationship between narrative voice, identification, and persuasive impact. This study confirm that narrative voice is not only an anecdotal formal choice but that it indirectly affects variables related to tobacco prevention, due to the fact that first-person messages activate a mechanism of affective connection with the message (increasing the identification with the protagonist) that decreases resistance to prevention (the counterarguing process) while simultaneously stimulating reflection or cognitive elaboration.

ResumenAbstract original adicciones vol. xx, nº x · El presente trabajo se centra en la prevención del tabaquismo utilizando mensajes narrativos. En particular, se analiza el papel de dos características de los mensajes narrativos que pueden influir, de manera indirecta, en la intención de dejar de fumar, las expectativas de auto-eficacia y la percepción de la eficacia de la respuesta preventiva.Palabras clave: Comunicación en salud; Prevención del tabaquismo;Persuasión narrativa; Similitud con el protagonista; Voz narrativa.This study focuses on smoking prevention using narrative messages.In particular, the role of two narrative attributes that can indirectly influence the intention to quit smoking, self-efficacy expectations and the perceived effectiveness of the preventive response were analysed.An experimental study was carried out (N = 680, 50% women and age range 18-55 years) with a 2 (narrative voice: first-vs. third-person message) x 2 (audience-protagonist similarity: low vs. high) between-subjects factorial design. Results showed that the optimal reception condition (first-person narrative with a highly similar protagonist to the audience) induced the highest levels of identification with the protagonist (a former smoker who described the process of quitting smoking and subsequent the improvements he has experienced). Mediational analyses showed that the optimal reception condition exerted significant indirect effects on the dependent variables, due to the increase in identification and reactance reduction. In addition, the optimal reception condition also exerted a significant indirect effect on the perceived effectiveness of the preventive response that was explained by stronger identification and weaker counterarguing. The present study opens an innovative line of research on the construction of narrative messages for smoking prevention. The relevance of the characteristics of these messages is highlighted in order to activate mediating processes that facilitate persuasion.

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Resumen: Las advertencias sanitarias en las cajetillas de tabaco son uno de los métodos más usados para reducir el consumo de tabaco. Es por ello que se plantea el presente estudio para averiguar si las nuevas imágenes incorporadas en los paquetes de tabaco en mayo de 2016 en España son efica­ces, comprensibles e impactan lo suficiente para cesar el consumo de tabaco. Para ello se crearon tres condiciones experimentales: en la primera condición se utilizaron las cajetillas originales (texto e imagen), en la segunda sólo las imágenes de las cajetillas y en la tercera condición sólo el texto con las advertencias. Participaron un total de 94 sujetos que fueron asignados aleatoriamente a las tres condiciones experimentales. Los resultados mostraron que las advertencias con sólo texto y las combinadas (texto e imagen) se comprendían mejor que las que sólo mostraban la imagen ame­nazante. Por lo tanto, la imagen en solitario reducía la comprensión del mensaje llegando incluso a distorsionar su significado. Los análisis mediacionales mostraron que las emociones negativas no ejercían un papel significativo. En cambio, la compresión del mensaje sí que actuaba como variable mediadora del efecto del tipo de advertencia sanitaria sobre el impacto preventivo.Palabras clave: Tabaco; advertencia sanitaria antitabaco; prevención tabaquismo; cese del tabaquismo; comunicación de la salud.Abstract: The warning labels placed on the cigarette packs are one of the more used methods to reduce the smoking habit among its population. The present study will try to establish whether or not the new images that were incorporated on the cigarette packs in Spain in 2016 are efficient, comprehensible and if they are impacting enough to stop the smoking behavior. On the experiment three questionnai­res were realized, one with the original combined pack (image and text), another one only with the pack image and another one only with the warning text. A total of 94 subjects participated on the ex­periment, they were randomly assigned one of the three experimental conditions. The results showed that the warning labels with just text and the ones that combined text and image were understood better by the subjects that the ones that only showed the threatening image. Therefore, it can be assessed that the image alone reduced the overall comprehension of the message, even distorting its meaning. The mediational analysis showed that negative emotions didn’t interfere with the results. On the contrary, the comprehension of the message worked as a mediating variable of the impact that the sanitary advice caused on the subjects.Keywords: Tobacco; tobacco warning label; smoking prevention; smoking cessation; health communication.

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