The Role of Agency and Threat-Immediacy in Interactive Digital Narrative Fear Appeals

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Aims: The first aim of the study was to assess the effect of agency, i.e. the perception of making meaningful decisions, in an interactive digital narrative fear appeal on self-efficacy beliefs concerning the ability to reduce alcohol intake among college students. Second, we assessed whether the communicated timeframe (short-term / long-term) of the threat presented in the narrative moderates the effect of agency on self-efficacy. Lastly, to validate the effect of the intervention on behavioural outcomes we assesed whether self-efficacy has an effect on behavioural intention measures. The study was a 2 (agency: low / high) x 2 (time-frame: immediate / distant) between-subjects online experiment.

Official Title
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The Role of Agency and Threat-Immediacy in Interactive Digital Narrative Fear Appeals for the Prevention of Excessive Alcohol Use: Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Excessive Drinking

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: High agency and immediate threat
* Other: High agency and distant threat
* Other: Low agency and immediate threat
* Other: Low agency and distant threat


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: above 18 years of age 480 seconds survey completion time both attention checks relating to narrative content passed correctly identified their experimental condition in the manipulation check did not choose to 'drink an alcoholic drink' for all decisions in the interactive narrative did not show signs of alcohol abuse Exclusion Criteria: under the age of 18 completed the questionnaire in an unreasonably short amount of time they failed one of the two attention checks failed the manipulation check asking them to recall whether they were presented with short- or long-term (high / low immediacy) consequences of excessive drinking chose an alcoholic drink for all decision points showed signs of alcohol dependence as measured above 15 on the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: High agency and immediate threat<br>Participants were asked to make decisions within the interactive digital narrative and were presented with acute alcohol poisoning of the main character in the story. | Other: High agency and immediate threat<br>* Participants were asked to make several decisions for the main character in the interactive digital narrative that related to drinking / turning down alcoholic drinks.The decisions made lead to a ending consistent with the decisions of the participant. In the story presented, a character dies from acute alcohol poisoning after ingesting too much alcohol in a short period of time.<br>|
| Experimental: High agency and distant threat<br>Participants were asked to make decisions within the interactive digital narrative and were presented with multiple organ failure after years of alcohol consumption of the main character in the story. | Other: High agency and distant threat<br>* Participants were asked to make several decisions for the main character in the interactive digital narrative that related to drinking / turning down alcoholic drinks.The decisions made lead to a ending consistent with the decisions of the participant. In the story presented, a character dies from multiple organ failure after ingesting too much alcohol over a long period of time.<br>|
| Experimental: Low agency and immediate threat<br>Participants were presented with a fixed (passive) narrative without decisions and were presented with acute alcohol poisoning of the main character in the story. | Other: Low agency and immediate threat<br>* Participants were asked to read a narrative in which the main character turns down alcoholic drinks at a party. The participants can not influence the decisions of the main character and only consume the narrative passively.The decisions made lead to a ending consistent with the decisions of the participant. In the story presented, a character dies from acute alcohol poisoning after ingesting too much alcohol in a short period of time.<br>|
| Experimental: Low agency and distant threat<br>Participants were presented with a fixed (passive) narrative without decisions and were presented with multiple organ failure after years of alcohol consumption of the main character in the story. | Other: Low agency and distant threat<br>* Participants were asked to read a narrative in which the main character turns down alcoholic drinks at a party. The participants can not influence the decisions of the main character and only consume the narrative passively.The decisions made lead to a ending consistent with the decisions of the participant. In the story presented, a character dies from multiple organ failure after ingesting too much alcohol over a long period of time.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Perceived self-efficacy | Three items answered on 7-point Likert scales (ranging from 'Strongly Disagree' to 'Strongly Agree'): I am able to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts. It is easy for me to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts. I can limit my alcohol intake to low amounts. | During the lab session | 
| Behavioural intention | Four items answered on 7-point Likert scales (ranging from 'Strongly Disagree' to 'Strongly Agree'): I intend to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts. I intend to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts on special occasions. I intend to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts when being with friends. I intend to limit my alcohol intake to low amounts when I am by myself. | During the lab session | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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agency, fear appeal, alcohol, narrative