Presumed Influence on Peer Norms: How Mass Media Indirectly Affect Adolescent Smoking

Abstract

In the context of adolescent smoking adoption, this study examined the presumed influence hypothesis, a theoretical model suggesting that smoking-related media content may have a significant indirect influence on adolescent smoking via its effect on perceived peer norms. That is, adolescents may assume that smoking-related messages in the mass media will influence the attitudes and behaviors of their peers and these perceptions in turn can influence adolescents' own smoking behaviors. Analyzing data from a sample of 818 middle school students, we found that both pro-and antismoking messages indirectly influenced smoking susceptibility through their perceived effect on peers. However, this indirect effect was significantly stronger for prosmoking messages than for antismoking messages, an outcome that most likely increases adolescents' susceptibility to cigarettes.

Blog Content Management in Shaping Pro Recreational Attitudes

“…Behaviours of this type are defined by an IPI model (Influence of Presumed Influence) where a special pressure is put on predicting by an individual the way of having of a peer group, equally consuming a particular content made available. In the situation when a recipient assumes that certain attitudes and behaviours present in the transmission constitute a norm in a social (peer) group there is more probability that they will be implemented by him/her (Gunther et al 2006). Certain analogies can be noticed in the described case of a potential influence of the contents made available on recreational blogs on creating the attitudes of the recipients.…”

“…Researching the influence of the content promoting smoking tobacco, Gunther et al (2006) proved that making them available in some way creates the need of behaviours connected with smoking. The main inspiration to act this way is the influence of peers in this case.…”

Cigarettes and Cinema: Does Parental Restriction of R-Rated Movie Viewing Reduce Adolescent Smoking Susceptibility?

“…All students who did not return a signed parental no-consent document were allowed to participate, if they wished. More detail on the design and measures in this study can be found elsewhere [16].…”

Evaluating Depressive Symptom Interactions on Adolescent Smoking Prevention Program Mediators: A Mediated Moderation Analysis

“…What we could not test in this study was whether their perceptions of their friends' use changed or whether they changed who they selected as friends. Overestimations of peer smoking behaviors have been shown to be a significant predictor of adolescent smoking and contributed to the overall norm that smoking was acceptable by peers Gunther, Bolt, Borzekowski, Liebhart, & Dillard, 2006;Lai, Ho, & Lam, 2004;Reid, Manske, & Leatherdale, 2008). Social influences smoking prevention programs aim to change these overestimations and perceptions surrounding peer acceptance of smoking.…”