When a Correction Contradicts: Countermessages May Increase Adolescents’ Ambivalence in Response to Drinking-Related Narratives

Entertainment narratives targeting youth frequently include favorable portrayals of risky behaviors, such as drinking alcohol. Countermessages (e.g., epilogues and public service announcements) may correct the influence of positive media portrayals and reduce the likelihood of exposed youth to engage in such risky behaviors. A common assumption of this approach is that countermessages reverse or remove the positive influence of the favorable depiction in the entertainment narrative. In contrast, this research finds that a countermessage can create an ambivalent belief structure (i.e., the coexistence of positive and negative beliefs). Study 1 shows that a countermessage delivered by a character from the narrative as an epilogue creates ambivalence relative to a condition in which no epilogue is presented, and the creation of ambivalence is linked to greater likelihood to engage in risky behaviors. Study 2 demonstrates that a standard public service announcement reduces ambivalence and risky attitudes and intentions relative to the counterepilogue condition.