This study examined whether emotion moderates the degree to which framed messages influences colorectal cancer (CRC) screening intentions and self-efficacy for screening. Previous research has demonstrated that loss-framed messages are more effective than gain-framed messages in motivating detection behaviors such as screening. However, overall effects of framing in the context of health messages have been small and heterogeneous, highlighting the pressing need to identify moderators of framed message effectiveness. We paired a standard framing manipulation with an “affective booster” to increase anticipated and anticipatory emotions associated with the framed messages in a 2 × 2 (gain-loss by affective booster-no booster). The loss-framed message was paired with a complementary affective booster intended to facilitate worry and regret; the gain-framed message was paired with a complementary booster intended to facilitate relief. Consistent with previous research, we found that loss-framed messages were more effective in increasing intentions to screen for CRC (Î2 = -.38, t = -2.19, p = .03, d = 0.55). The inclusion of the affective booster had no overall effect on intentions to screen (Î2 = -.06, t = -0.39, p = .70, d = 0.10). However, we found a significant interaction (Î2 = .48, t = 2.13, p = .04, d = 0.53), such that among individuals who received gain-framed messages (but not loss-framed messages), the affective booster increased message persuasiveness. A similar pattern of results was uncovered with respect to self-efficacy for screening, where an affective booster increased self-efficacy among the gain-frame message recipients, bringing their self-efficacy in line with those who had received the loss-framed message. This study indicates that in the presence of affective boosters, loss-framed messages may lose their advantage over gain-framed messages in motivating detection behaviors.

This abstract is one of the 20 highest scoring abstracts of those submitted for presentation at the 36th Annual ASPO meeting held March 4–6, 2012, in Washington, DC.