A new study shows that scare tactics may have the opposite effect when it comes to teens and drinking.
Parents, educators and professionals are always looking for effective ways to keep kids from drinking. Unfortunately, a new study shows that anti-drinking ads which employ scare tactics or guilt may produce the opposite effect in young people, and can actually increase the likelihood of binge drinking, according to a report on BehavioralHealthCentral.com.
The questionnaire-based study had researchers interviewing 1,200 undergrads after viewing the negative ads. Oddly enough, researchers found that the students were more likely to report that they might engage in binge-drinking behaviors after viewing the ads than they had been before.
Why Teens Ignore Warnings
What’s the reason for this reverse impact? It could be that common teen malady of feeling invincible. Researchers theorize that ads showing negative consequences like people being violently ill after drinking or the consequences of an alcohol-related car accident, may trigger a defensive coping mechanism that makes those viewing the images feel like those same consequences only happen to other people and won’t ever happen to them.
Scare tactics have long been a favorite of adults hoping to curb unwanted behavior in teens and pre-teens. It was a particularly popular option in driver’s training courses, where bloody accident scenes were shown to teens to frighten them into driving safely. But it turns out that if pushed too far, teens (and all of us, for that matter) simply shut down, refusing to process or remember what they’ve been shown.
So will this impact future ad campaigns aimed at teens? Only time will tell if positivity will prevail. The study will be published in the April, 2010 issue of the Journal of Marketing Research.
Addiction Treatment
If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
Tags: Addiction, Binge Drinking, Teen Drinking
