Preventing child corporal punishment: The influence of racial cues on intervention message reactance and behavioral intentions

Background

Child corporal punishment (CP) is a form of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and interventions and educational messages about CP are needed. However, CP prevention messages targeting minority racial groups can cause reactance against the message because the messages are perceived as communicating the dominant racial group's ideologies and restricting parents' freedom to discipline their children.

Objective

This study examined how racial cues presented in CP prevention messages influenced message reactance and behavioral intentions.

Participants

394 Black parents who had a child 10 years of age or younger (75 % low-income, 67 % mothers, M_age = 38) were randomly assigned to view CP prevention messages incorporating either similar or dissimilar racial source.

Methods

This study employed an experimental design. Participants were exposed to CP intervention messages and then responded to a questionnaire. Interaction effects of racial cues and message format on empathy were examined using a two-way analysis of covariance. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the message reactance mechanism through which racial cues influenced intentions to use CP.

Results

Results indicated that racial cues predicted empathy, which reduced psychological reactance and intentions to use CP. Participants, who received the message with similar racial source, reported higher empathy compared to those with a message of dissimilar racial source. The association between exposure to racial cues and CP intent were statistically significant as mediated by empathy, perceived freedom threat, and psychological reactance.

Conclusions

Results indicated the efficacy of race-tailored CP prevention messages and provided evidence for child abuse intervention campaigns to design messages to persuade parents of minority racial groups.