Would Shaming or Instilling Hope in Indian Bystanders Lead to Positive Reporting Intentions? Examining the Impact of Emotional Appeals and Perceived Social Support in Domestic Violence Prevention PSAs

ABSTRACT Research on sexual violence and bullying has highlighted the importance of bystander intervention. This empirical study focuses on public health messaging that can induce positive behavior change and help curb domestic violence, a global human rights and health issue. With psychological distance as the theoretical framework, the current study explored the persuasive impact of emotional ad appeals – shame (other-focused) and hope (ego-focused) – on varying levels of perceived peer support among participants from India. From a regression analysis, the findings showed that hope was more effective than shame in generating favorable attitudes toward the ad and stronger reporting intentions. Furthermore, hope was more effective among those with low perceived peer support, while either emotion worked well for those with high perceived peer support. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.