| College students are a particularly vulnerable population to electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) initiation and use due to social and environmental pressures. The present investigation tests the efficacy of narrative communication to communicate e-cigarette risk. The study tests the impact of social role similarity (i.e., the degree to which audience members align with the social group or role of the target character) on narrative consistent e-cigarette beliefs, attitudes, and intentions, increased narrative processing (i.e., identification, transportation, and narrative engagement), and reduced message resistance. The study additionally compares relative impact of social role similarity to other forms of actual and perceived similarity (i.e., gender, race, and attitude). The results indicate both actual and social role similarity are the strongest predictors of intentions related to e-cigarette information-seeking and all the processes of narrative involvement. The relationship between forms of similarity and e-cigarette beliefs, attitudes, intentions to use e-cigarettes, and reduced counterarguing and reactance were non-significant. |
