The Moderating Effect of Social Desirability and Self-Efficacy on the Relationship between Message Framing and the Communication Effects for the Smokers

Abstract

AbstractThis study examined the communication effects of smoking cessation using thetwo variables of message framing and personality traits for smokers. Messageframing is classified into positive messages and negative messages. Personalitytraits involve self-efficacy and social desirability. Use 122 valid smokers toparticipate a between-subject experiment and a hierarchical regression analyses.The results showed that, for smokers, positive messages had a more significanteffect than negative ones. Message framing have partial interaction withpersonality traits on the communication effects. And positive messages with lowself-efficacy or low social desirability have a better effect. This studyrecommends that for specific preventive issues of social marketing or theaudience with low self-efficacy/social desirability, positive messages are thebetter option