Self-control and the effects of movie alcohol portrayals on immediate alcohol consumption in male college students

Exposure to Television Alcohol Brand Appearances as Predictor of Adolescent Brand Affiliation and Drinking Behaviors

Adolescence and the transition to adulthood is an important developmental stage in the emergence of health risk behaviors, specifically underage alcohol use. Adolescents consume a tremendous amount of screened media (primarily streamed television), and media depictions of behaviors is prospectively linked to youth initiation of behaviors. With the arrival of streamed media technology, alcohol advertising can be nested within television content. This study describes alcohol brand depictions in television and evaluates impact of exposure to such depictions on adolescent drinking outcomes. A national sample of 2012 adolescents (M_age = 17.07; SD = 1.60 years, range 15-20; 50.70% female) reported on television viewership, alcohol brand affiliation, and drinking behavior, with follow-up one year later. Ten series (that remain relevant to youth today) across television ratings from a single television season were content coded for presence/salience of alcohol brand appearances. Adjusting for covariates (e.g., peer/parent drinking, youth sensation seeking, movie alcohol brand exposure), higher exposure to brand appearances in the television shows was associated with youth drinking. Aspirational and usual brand to drink corresponded to television alcohol brand prominence, and television brand exposure was independently associated with drinking initiation and hazardous drinking.

Media/Marketing Influences on Adolescent and Young Adult Substance Abuse

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We describe the state of research on substance use portrayals in marketing and media, considering exposure to tobacco, alcohol, e-cigarette, and marijuana content. Putative mechanisms are offered, and recommendations made for effective prevention strategies for mitigating the influence of these portrayals.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is consistent evidence that adolescents and young adults are highly exposed to substance use portrayals and that these portrayals are associated with subsequent substance use. Exposure via new media (social networking sites, brand websites) has risen rapidly. Social norms and cognitions appear to at least partially account for the effects of portrayals on youth substance use.

SUMMARY

Digital media has surpassed traditional marketing, which is concerning because youth have on-demand access to content and are active consumers of digital media. Developmentally appropriate media literacy interventions that include a parenting component and target multiple substances and media domains are recommended.

Media/Marketing Influences on Adolescent and Young Adult Substance Abuse

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We describe the state of research on substance use portrayals in marketing and media, considering exposure to tobacco, alcohol, e-cigarette, and marijuana content. Putative mechanisms are offered, and recommendations made for effective prevention strategies for mitigating the influence of these portrayals.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is consistent evidence that adolescents and young adults are highly exposed to substance use portrayals and that these portrayals are associated with subsequent substance use. Exposure via new media (social networking sites, brand websites) has risen rapidly. Social norms and cognitions appear to at least partially account for the effects of portrayals on youth substance use.

SUMMARY

Digital media has surpassed traditional marketing, which is concerning because youth have on-demand access to content and are active consumers of digital media. Developmentally appropriate media literacy interventions that include a parenting component and target multiple substances and media domains are recommended.

Exposure to Alcohol Content in Movies and Initiation of Early Drinking Milestones

BACKGROUND

Exposure to alcohol content in movies has been shown to be associated with adolescent use of alcohol, including earlier onset. This study examined the influence of movie alcohol exposure on subsequent alcohol onset, considering the social context (whether the movie was viewed with a friend or parent). We examined whether media's influence holds across a spectrum of early drinking milestones: sipping (but not consuming a full drink of) alcohol, consuming a full drink of alcohol, and engaging in heavy episodic drinking (HED).

METHODS

Data were taken from a sample of 882 middle school youth (52% female; 24% non-White) enrolled in an ongoing study on alcohol initiation and progression. Exposure to alcohol content in films was measured using a method that combines content analysis and random assignment of movie titles to youth surveys. The hazard of initiating alcohol use (sip, full drink, HED) as a function of exposure was estimated using survival analysis. Associations were adjusted for demographic, personality, and social influence factors known to be associated with both movie exposure and alcohol use.

RESULTS

Exposure to alcohol content was common. Hours of exposure prospectively predicted earlier onset of alcohol involvement across all outcomes. Viewing movies with friends appeared to augment the media exposure effect, in contrast to viewing movies with parents, which was not a significant predictor of initiation.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to alcohol in films is involved in the entry into early stages of alcohol involvement. Findings support further investigation into the role of the media in underage drinking, especially in the context of consuming media with friends and peers. Limiting media exposure and/or stronger Federal Trade Commission oversight of movie ratings should be a priority for preventing underage drinking.

Immediate effects of alcohol marketing communications and media portrayals on consumption and cognition: a systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies

BACKGROUND

Restricting marketing of alcoholic products is purported to be a cost-effective intervention to reduce alcohol consumption. The strength of evidence supporting this claim is contested. This systematic review aimed to assess immediate effects of exposure to alcohol marketing on alcoholic beverage consumption and related cognitions.

METHODS

Electronic searches of nine databases, supplemented with reference list searches and forward citation tracking, were used to identify randomised, experimental studies assessing immediate effects of exposure to alcohol marketing communications on objective alcohol consumption (primary outcome), explicit or implicit alcohol-related cognitions, or selection without purchasing (secondary outcomes). Study limitations were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Random and fixed effects meta-analyses were conducted to estimate effect sizes.

RESULTS

Twenty four studies met the eligibility criteria. A meta-analysis integrating seven studies (758 participants, all students) found that viewing alcohol advertisements increased immediate alcohol consumption relative to viewing non-alcohol advertisements (SMD = 0.20, 95 % CI = 0.05, 0.34). A meta-analysis integrating six studies (631 participants, all students) did not find that viewing alcohol portrayals in television programmes or films increased consumption (SMD = 0.16, 95 % CI = -0.05, 0.37). Meta-analyses of secondary outcome data found that exposure to alcohol portrayals increased explicit alcohol-related cognitions, but did not find that exposure to alcohol advertisements influenced explicit or implicit alcohol-related cognitions. Confidence in results is diminished by underpowered analyses and unclear risk of bias.

CONCLUSIONS

Viewing alcohol advertisements (but not alcohol portrayals) may increase immediate alcohol consumption by small amounts, equivalent to between 0.39 and 2.67 alcohol units for males and between 0.25 and 1.69 units for females. The generalizability of this finding beyond students and to other marketing channels remains to be established.

Impulsivity moderates the effects of movie alcohol portrayals on adolescents' willingness to drink

This study examined impulsivity as a moderator of adolescents' reactions to positive versus negative portrayals of drinking in American movie clips. Impulsivity, along with willingness and intentions to drink in the future, were assessed in a pretest session. In the experimental sessions, adolescents viewed a series of clips that showed drinking associated with either positive outcomes (e.g., social facilitation) or negative outcomes (fights, arguments). A third group viewed clips with similar positive or negative outcomes, but no alcohol consumption. All participants then responded to an implicit measure of attentional bias regarding alcohol (a dot probe), followed by explicit alcohol measures (self-reports of willingness and intentions to drink). Hypotheses, based on dual-processing theories, were: (a) high-impulsive adolescents would respond more favorably than low-impulsive adolescents to the positive clips, but not the negative clips; and (b) this difference in reactions to the positive clips would be larger on the willingness than the intention measures. Results supported the hypotheses: Adolescents high in impulsivity reported the highest willingness to drink in the positive-clip condition, but were slightly less willing than others in the negative-clip condition. In addition, results on the dot probe task indicated that RTs to alcohol words were negatively correlated with changes in alcohol willingness, but not intention; that is, the faster their response to the alcohol words, the more their willingness increased. The results highlight the utility of a dual-processing perspective on media influence. (PsycINFO Database Record