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Introduction: Adolescent mental health has been an issue of global concern, and the mental health of adolescents in economically disadvantaged areas may require additional research. The research delves into factors associated with economically disadvantaged areas' adolescent mental health, employing family systems theory, self-determination theory, and psychological reactance theory. Specifically, the present study which was done in Jingzhou country, an economically disadvantaged area of Hunan Province, China, aimed to examine the link between parental psychological control and adolescent mental health, as well as the mediating roles of psychological reactance and problematic smartphone use in this relationship. Methods: A sample of 1300 Chinese middle school students (620 girls, mean age = 14.22 ± 1.29) completed self-reported measures of parental psychological control, psychological reactance, problematic smartphone use, and adolescent mental health. Results: Results showed that parental psychological control was negatively associated with adolescent mental health. Psychological reactance and problematic smartphone use mediated the association between parental psychological control and adolescent mental health, separately and serially. Discussion: The findings of the present study enrich the literature on parenting styles and adolescent mental health in economically disadvantaged areas, and this provides an intervention perspective to reduce the negative impact of poor parenting on adolescent mental health in economically disadvantaged areas.

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Introduction: To improve the physical fitness of college students, numerous Chinese universities have mandated students to use sports apps for running on campus. However, this has led to widespread resistance among students. Methods: To gain a deep understanding of the potential reasons for student resistance, we have developed a conceptual model based on psychological reactance theory. Specifically, we conducted a questionnaire survey involving 449 Chinese college students, using partial least squares structural equation modeling to test and analyze the research model and its related hypotheses. Results: Our results reveal that: (1) Psychological reactance poses a potential reason for students' resistance to mandatory use of sports apps, and it has a significant negative impact on students' attitudes and behavioral intentions. (2) Students' perceived threat to freedom and reactance proneness are two important antecedents of psychological reactance, which can account for 51% (R 2 = 0.51) of the variance in psychological reactance. Furthermore, the results indicate that students' reactance proneness has a positive impact on perceived threats to freedom. (3) The mandatory use of sports apps leads students to have two different conditions: mandated-acceptance and mandated-rejection, both of which have a positive impact on the antecedents of psychological reactance. Discussion: These findings provide insights into the psychological processes underlying students' resistance to mandatory use of sports apps, facilitating the application of sports apps in intervention measures that improve health and fitness. Furthermore, this study is the first to apply psychological reactance theory to mandatory exercise behavior, contributing to the reactance literature.

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This study experimentally investigated the effect of dogmatic and suggestive language in Christian-sourced excessive alcohol consumption messages among college-aged participants who identify as Christians or non-Christians, as well as the role of perceived similarity with the message source, on their self-reported freedom-threat, psychological reactance, and behavioral intentions to consume alcohol. The results from this study support psychological reactance theory and demonstrate the various message strategies to effectively communicate the negative health effects of excessive alcohol consumption to individuals who identify either as Christians or non-Christians.

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OBJECTIVE: Psychological reactance can undermine the persuasiveness of smoking campaigns, but this effect may vary as a function of culture. Previous research has been conducted at the national level or examined the influence of one cultural variable. This study investigated whether the boomerang effect of controlling language varied across countries and whether individualism and power distance moderated the relationship between controlling language and psychological reactance. METHODS: A total of 400 Chinese and 441 American smokers were randomly assigned to either high or low controlling language. RESULTS: High controlling language elicited psychological reactance, which caused negative attitudes and eventually reduced intentions to quit smoking in both countries. Moreover, the effect of controlling language on reactance was stronger among low power distance Americans, Chinese of high individualism and high power distance as well as of low individualism and low power distance. CONCLUSION: The boomerang effect of controlling language held across cultures. Power distance moderated the relationship between controlling language and psychological reactance as well as the moderation effect of individualism on this relationship. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Practitioners should be cautious to evoke reactance especially when targeting at the three groups mentioned above.

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BACKGROUND: As illustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, communicating evidence-based health recommendations represents a tremendous challenge; among some recipients, public health messages can cause anger and negative cognitions, also known as psychological reactance, and consequently lead to negative attitudes and low intentions to perform the promoted behavior. The present study investigated the role of message characteristics (i.e. high vs. low freedom-threat messages), individuals' trust in science (i.e. high vs. low trust in science), and their interaction in determining responses to public health messages. METHODS: We conducted an experimental study, in which participants (N = 228) with high or low trust in science were exposed to high or low freedom-threat messages promoting mask-wearing to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and regular physical activity. RESULTS: We found support for the notion that messages imposing high threat to freedom lead to higher state psychological reactance, and more negative attitudes and behavioral intentions. Moreover, our results showed that trust in science has a main and interaction effect (together with message characteristics) on state reactance, behavioral intentions, and - to a lesser degree - attitudes, in the case of COVID-19, but not physical activity messages. The findings remained the same regardless of controlling for other relevant variables. CONCLUSIONS: While our study has some limitations, such as a rather homogeneous sample, a limited number of experimental stimuli, and a relatively artificial experimental environment, it offers some insight into the important role of health communication recipients' trust in science and provides advice on how to communicate health recommendations to skeptics.

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BACKGROUND: Reducing the spread of infectious diseases through vaccination faces the challenge of vaccine hesitancy: referring to questions, concerns and doubts arising when making a vaccine-related decision. A motivational state often arising within people exposed to health messages supporting informed decision making is psychological reactance, functioning as a driver to behavior opposed to the one recommended through the health message. Hence, there is a pressing need for communication strategies effective in counteracting reactance to health messages. METHODS: This study tested two communication strategies that can potentially reduce psychological reactance and ameliorate evaluations of the message and subsequent behavioral vaccination intentions in the context of COVID-19. These were: (1) explicitly reminding individuals of their freedom of choice (to either accept or refuse the vaccine) and (2) providing a two-sided message, including, apart from evidence-based information on the necessity of vaccines, a set of concerns, and questions (about the vaccines) which are refuted immediately. A total of 234 participants who indicated having concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine participated in a 2 (freedom of choice: no choice vs. choice) × 2 (message sidedness: one-sided vs. two-sided) between-subjects online experiment where they received an informational brochure about COVID-19 vaccination. RESULTS: The results show that emphasizing freedom of choice significantly increased perceived credibility of the message, perceived information utility, and ultimately, vaccination intentions. A decrease in psychological reactance mediated these effects. Message sidedness did only show a significant direct effect on perceived information utility. No interaction effect was found. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate the importance of freedom of choice in reducing psychological reactance, which in its turn can lead to an increase of positive message evaluations and vaccination intentions among individuals who express concerns. The opportunities of message sidedness as an efficacious vaccination communication strategy should be further investigated.

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Western governments' attempts to encourage young adults to adopt COVID-19 contact tracing apps (CTAs) have been unsuccessful. Drawing on psychological reactance theory, we propose that government-imposed containment measures (e.g., lockdowns, curfews) may cause young adults to resist CTAs. We investigate how and when threats to freedom posed by government-imposed containment measures to young adults reduce their CTA adoption intentions. We conducted a survey of young adults during the second general lockdown (March‒April 2021) in Italy. The results show that when young Italian adults focus on the restrictive nature of government-imposed containment measures, their sense of freedom is threatened. Threats to freedom produce psychological states of either helplessness or reactance, depending on if young Italian adults think they can recover their freedom. Helpless young adults are motivated to adopt CTAs because they seek guidance from containment measures. Reactant young adults resist CTAs because they exhibit aversive psychological states toward containment measures. These results offer relevant insights for policymakers. They shed light on young Italian adults' resistance toward CTAs. They also inform governments on how to interact more efficiently with young adults if a novel pandemic should occur.

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RATIONALE: The booster vaccine plays a key role in ending COVID-19 crisis. However, promoting COVID-19 booster vaccination often interferes with individuals' freedom of choice and leads to psychological reactance. OBJECTIVE: To promote the public's intention to receive COVID-19 booster dose, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of different message designs from psychological reactance theory's perspective. METHOD: A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted in Macao in January 2022 (N = 469). Partial least squares structural equation modeling and a complementary three-way ANOVA were performed to examine the effects of message frame (gain frame vs. loss frame), freedom restoration postscripts (present vs. absent), and other-referencing cues (present vs. absent) on reducing psychological reactance. RESULTS: The present study has successfully broadened the scope of the psychological reactance theory by examining its applicability to the context of COVID-19 booster vaccination promotion. Our findings indicate that the gain-framed promotion messages tend to be the most effective in reducing perceived reactance. However, freedom restoration postscripts, other-referencing cues, and mixed message design were found to be ineffective in alleviating reactance. Besides, the insignificance of direct effect from message frame to intention suggests that the message design itself cannot influence people's vaccination intentions; rather, it must rely on reducing perceived threat, reactance, and further improving vaccination intentions. CONCLUSIONS: Our study offered valuable insights from psychological reactance perspective, identifying message features that can be effective in health promotions. Furthermore, message design specifically aimed at reducing the threat to freedom may yield unexpected persuasive effects, an aspect currently overlooked in health promotion strategies.

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Adherence to prescribed treatment is a major challenge in psychiatry, with non-adherence rates estimated to be as high as 50%. Two factors that have been suggested to influence medication adherence in psychiatric patients are perceived health control and psychological reactance. Perceived health control refers to the belief that one can control their own health outcomes, while psychological reactance refers to the negative response that occurs when individuals perceive their freedom or autonomy to be threatened. The aim of this review is to explore the possible relevance and interaction of perceived health control and psychological reactance in the adherence of psychiatric patients to their treatment. Several studies have suggested that higher levels of perceived health control are associated with better medication adherence, while higher levels of psychological reactance are associated with poorer adherence. Moreover, it has been suggested that patients with high levels of perceived health control may be more likely to experience psychological reactance if they feel that their autonomy is threatened by the treatment regimen. Taken together, these findings suggest that perceived health control and psychological reactance may interact to influence medication adherence in psychiatric patients. Future research could explore ways to enhance patients' perceived health control while minimizing psychological reactance in order to improve treatment adherence in this population.

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Based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), the Psychological Reactance Theory (PRT), and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), we revealed the psychological impact factors of individuals' private car purchase intentions during the new normal of COVID-19. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and Bayesian network (BN) were used to analyzed the car purchase decision-making mechanism. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect empirical data from April 20th to May 26th of 2020 in China. We investigated 645 participants and analyzed the data. The SEM results showed that conditional value, pro-car-purchasing attitude, and perceived behavioral control, health value, and cost factors have significant direct effects on car purchase intention. According to BN's prediction of purchase intention, the probability of high purchase intention grew by 47.6%, 97.3% and 163.0%, respectively, with perceived behavioral control, pro-car-purchasing attitude, and conditional value shifting from "low" to "medium" and "high". This study provided a new perspective for researchers to explore the purchase intention of cars during the epidemic. Meanwhile, we could provide a reference for the government and enterprises to develop measures related to the automobile market."

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Introduction: Social media enable advertisers to promote products by placing ads into videos posted by social media influencers. However, according to psychological reactance theory, any persuasive attempt may evoke reactance. Therefore, how to minimize the audience's potential resistance to product placements is important. This study investigated how the parasocial relationship (PSR) between audiences and influencers as well as the extent to which the influencer's expertise matched the product (termed as influencer-product congruence) shaped audience attitude towards the product placement and their purchase intention through reactance. Methods: The study conducted a 2 (PSR: high vs low) × 2 (influencer-product congruence: congruent vs incongruent) between-subjects online experiment (N = 210) to test hypotheses. SPSS 24 and PROCESS macro by Hayes were used to analyze the data. Results: The results demonstrate that PSR and influencer-product congruence enhanced the audience's attitude and purchase intention. Moreover, these positive effects were mediated by lowering levels of the audience's reactance. Additionally, we found preliminary evidence suggesting that PSR moderated the effect of perceived expertise of the influencer on reactance. Specifically, this effect was stronger among those reporting a low level of PSR compared to a high level. Conclusion: Our findings reveal how PSR and influencer-product congruence are intertwined to shape audience evaluation of product placement via social media and highlight the central role of reactance in this process. This study also provides advice on the selection of influencer when promoting product placement on social media.

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OBJECTIVE: In most countries, vaccine uptake is a voluntary decision. If people experience threats to this freedom, for example, by pro-vaccination media campaigns or government pressure, psychological reactance may be induced. To regain freedom, the opposite behaviour (vaccine refusal) may become more attractive, forming a vaccination barrier. It remains unclear how state reactance fluctuates and how it relates to vaccination intention versus behaviour. Therefore, this pre-registered longitudinal study aimed to gain insight in the changes in state reactance during a COVID-19 vaccination programme and its relationship with vaccine uptake. METHODS: A representative sample of Dutch adults under 60 completed questionnaires before being eligible for vaccination, shortly before they were invited for vaccination, and after the opportunity for vaccination. RESULTS: Data were analysed using regression analyses (N = 1411). Reactance did not change as hypothesised, but remained stable over time. As hypothesised, reactance predicted lower subsequent vaccination intention. Controlling for intentions, however, reactance did not predict vaccine uptake. Furthermore, reactance predicted lower decision confidence about vaccination, except for people who strongly opposed vaccination. CONCLUSION: Reactance has a sustained role in anticipation of a vaccination decision. Although reactance seems to affect the process towards the decision, this does not determine the final choice.

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Uptake of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine is effective in preventing infection and severe consequences caused by COVID-19. The present study examined the effects of negative attitudes towards vaccination in general and trust in government on uptake of a COVID-19 booster dose, as well as the moderating role of psychological reactance to pro-vaccination messages in Hong Kong. An observational prospective cohort study using online survey was conducted among 264 adults. Findings showed that, after adjustment for significant background characteristics, negative attitudes towards vaccination in general negatively predicted uptake of a booster dose, and trust in government positively predicted uptake of a booster dose. In addition, the association between negative attitudes towards vaccination in general and uptake of a booster dose was weaker among those who reported a higher level of psychological reactance. The present study highlighted the importance of improving attitudes towards vaccination in general especially among those who are not experiencing psychological reactance, and building trust in government. This study also suggested that interventions aimed at improving attitudes towards vaccination in general should seek to avoid psychological reactance, and special attention should be given to people who are experiencing psychological reactance to pro-vaccination messages.

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This study investigated how exposure to negative and misleading online comments about the COVID-19 vaccination persuasive messages and the ensuing corrective rebuttals of these comments affected people's attitudes and intentions regarding vaccination. An online experiment was performed with 344 adults in the United States. The results showed that rebuttals by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rather than those by social media users, indirectly increased people's willingness to receive the vaccine by reducing their psychological reactance to persuasive messages and their belief in the misinformation contained in the comments. Rebuttals by social media users became more effective in reducing reactance when people initially had stronger pro-vaccination attitudes.

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During the 2019-2020 global pandemic, mandated time at home suggested engagement in personal projects, such as home decluttering. Clutter (an overabundance of possessions) may impede one's quality of life by interfering with space livability and social connections and prompting negative affect and financial problems. The present study explored action-state orientation, psychological reactance, and decisional procrastination with 227 American adults (M age = 49.9 years old). A latent class analysis tested for differences in cognition across groups. Results supported that persons who struggle with clutter reflect clusters or "classes" given their self-reported cognitive processes, with hesitant and indecisive participants experiencing greater negative impacts of clutter than action-oriented and decisive participants. Our findings suggested improving the decision-making and goal-directed capacities of those struggling with clutter may be effective as preventive and/or interventive strategies. Future research might consider when hesitation to initiate challenging tasks and indecision emerge in the decluttering timeline and how those who are prone to these cognitions may be supported in managing their personal possessions.

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In the management of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the mandated closure of workplaces and stay-at-home orders have forced workers to adapt to a prolonged period of unplanned telecommuting, which we term epidemic-induced telecommuting. Although epidemic-induced telecommuting has drastically altered how work is conducted, scant attention is being paid to this emerging work arrangement. To this end, we combine psychological reactance theory and person-environment fit theory to advance the concept of misfit between worker and environment as a core determinant of employees' work experience in the epidemic-induced telecommuting. Particularly, we distinguish between supply-value and demand-ability misfits as constraints on workers' freedom at work. Having analyzed data collected through a survey administered on remote workers, we discovered that both misfits positively influenced workers' perceived psychological reactance, which led to work exhaustion and counter-productive behaviors. We also found that the utilization of collaborative technologies moderated the effects of misfit on workers' psychological reactance.

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Psychological reactance (PR) is a psychological state or trait typified by resistant responses to threats to behavioral freedom. PR has been linked with negative health behaviors, including risky substance use; however, factors that may foster approaches to mitigate the impact of PR on these behaviors, as well as rejection of other health promotion communications is less understood. The current studies examined relations between parental warmth and monitoring with trait PR and responses to preventive cannabis communications and usage intentions. Two in-school surveys were administered to two difference samples of middle school students (Study 1, N = 1,416; Study 2, N = 1,118). Path analytic models tested multivariable linkages among relevant parenting variables, PR, and outcomes associated with cannabis use. Follow-up regression analyses explored significant interaction effects. In Study 1 (p <0.001) and Study 2 (p <0.01), parental warmth moderated the relation between monitoring and trait PR: High monitoring was a protective factor only when combined with high warmth. In turn, PR mediated the relationships between parenting practices and cannabis intentions in both studies (p <0.001). In Study 2, PR also was linked with resistance to persuasion via more unfavorable reactions to anti-cannabis appeals (p <0.001). Findings indicated that low parental warmth combined with high parental monitoring was associated with high trait reactance in adolescents, which predisposed them to stronger resistance to preventive communications. Interventions might focus on counseling parents about the likely outcomes of parenting style, and ways to implement beneficial approaches.

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BACKGROUND: The Immunisation Register of Australia reports that childhood vaccination rates in some regional areas are below herd immunity levels. This is a concern for the health and well-being of society, as regions with low vaccination rates have an increased risk of disease outbreaks. OBJECTIVE: This study explored psychological motivators as predictors of anti-vaccination attitudes amongst parents living on the Sunshine Coast (Queensland), Australia. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design explored anti-vaccination attitudes, conspiratorial thinking, psychological reactance, trust in government and magical beliefs about health in 1050 parents (968 mothers). RESULTS: The predictor variables significantly accounted for 42% of the variance in parental anti-vaccination attitudes. The strongest predictor of anti-vaccination attitudes was lower levels of trust in government. CONCLUSION: The findings contribute to understanding of psychological factors motivating anti-vaccine attitudes in Australian parents. The findings may help inform health communication campaign effectiveness in their alignment with individual underlying motivations.

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Researchers have linked circulating misinformation in online platforms to low COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Two disparate literatures provide relevant initial guidance to address the problem. Motivational Interviewing (MI) effectively reduces vaccine hesitancy in clinical environments; meanwhile, social scientists note inoculation, rebuttal, and appeals to accuracy are persuasive in digital contexts. A tension is inherent in these approaches. MI in digital forums may induce an 'illusory truth effect,' wherein falsehoods appear more accurate through repetition. Yet, rebutting misinformation directly may elicit backfire or reactance effects, motivating some to amplify their presentation of misinformation. Building on Identity Process Theory, we propose a theoretical framework for conducting MI-based infodemiology interventions among digital communities that conceptualizes the community in toto (rather than one specific person) as the unit of focus. Case examples from interventions on public Facebook posts illustrate three processes unique to such interventions: 1) Navigating tension between addressing commenters and "bystanders"; 2) Activating pro-vaccine bystanders; and 3) Reframing uncertainty or information individuals might find concerning or threatening according to implied collective values. This paper suggests community-oriented MI can maximize persuasive effects on bystanders while minimizing potential reactance from those with committed beliefs, thereby guiding community-oriented public health messaging interventions enacted in digital environments.

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Common strategies to make official nutrition information more persuasive include highlighting its institutional sources and using simple and direct language. However, such strategies may be counterproductive, as institutions are no longer self-evidently deemed to be legitimate in contemporary societies and such language can be viewed as patronizing. Our preregistered, population-based survey experiment fielded among a high-quality Dutch probability sample in February 2022 (n = 1947) 1) examines whether these dominant strategies hold up when tested against suggestions of psychological reactance and source derogation, and 2) scrutinizes if such responses are stronger among less-educated citizens. Our experiment mirrored real-life examples of health-information campaigns concerning healthy and unhealthy beverages, with data collected on seven outcome measures to discern receptivity toward the information and its sources. We found that just highlighting institutional sources in the information did not lead to it being perceived more negatively. This was also the case when the language used could be perceived as patronizing, with reactance only present for one outcome measure. Moreover, while less-educated citizens were generally less receptive to nutrition information (six of seven outcome measures), versions that could possibly be perceived as patronizing or/and highlighted institutional sources did not make them less receptive systematically. Importantly, therefore, while our results show that the dominant health-communication strategies do not increase receptivity either, their use will probably not have a negative effect on the general public and so do not need to be discarded.