Fishbein, Martin
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Publication The Social Diffusion of Influence Among Adolescents: Group Interaction in a Chat Room Environment About Antidrug Advertisements(2006-01-01) Cappella, Joseph N; David, Clarissa; Fishbein, MartinOne route to influence in mass communication campaigns to reduce risky behavior is through interpersonal discussion of the content of the campaign and other behaviors pertinent to those targeted by the campaign. The goal of this study was to test the effects of online group interaction among adolescents about anti-marijuana advertisements on relevant attitudes and behaviors. A between subjects post only experimental design was used to test two crossed factors, online chat and strength of arguments in antidrug ads. A sample of 535 students was randomly assigned to one of four conditions: chat and strong argument ads, chat and weak argument ads, no chat and strong argument ads, and no chat and weak argument ads. The group interactions about antidrug ads lead to negative effects such that those who chatted reported more pro-marijuana attitudes and subjective normative beliefs than those who just viewed the ads. No support was found for the hypothesis that strong argument ads would result in more antidrug beliefs relative to weak argument ads in either the chat or the no chat conditions. Overall, these findings suggest that viewing antidrug ads and discussing them with peers may result in deleterious effects in adolescents.Publication How Sources of Sexual Information Relate to Adolescents' Beliefs About Sex(2009-01-01) Bleakley, Amy; Hennessy, Michael; Fishbein, Martin; Jordan, AmyObjectives: To examine how sources of sexual information are associated with adolescents' behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about having sexual intercourse using the integrative model of behavior change. Methods: Survey data from a quota sample of 459 youth. Results: The most frequently reported sources were friends, teachers, mothers, and media. Regression analyses indicated that learning about sex from parents, grandparents, and religious leaders was associated with beliefs likely to delay sex; friends, cousins, and media were associated with beliefs that increase the likelihood of having sexual intercourse. Conclusions: Different sexual information sources were associated with different underlying beliefs.Publication The Role of Distal Variables in Behavior Change: Effects of Adolescents' Risk for Marijuana Use on Intention to Use Marijuana(2004-01-01) Cappella, Joseph N; Fishbein, Martin; Yzer, Marco C; Hornik, Robert C; Sayeed, Sarah; Ahern, K. KirklandThis study uses an integrative model of behavioral prediction as an account of adolescents' intention to use marijuana regularly. Adolescents' risk for using marijuana regularly is examined to test the theoretical assumption that distal variables affect intention indirectly. Risk affects intention indirectly if low-risk and high-risk adolescents differ on the strength with which beliefs about marijuana are held, or if they differ on the relative importance of predictors of intention. A model test confirmed that the effect of risk on intention is primarily indirect. Adolescents at low and high risk particularly differed in beliefs concerning social costs and costs to self-esteem. Not surprisingly, at-risk adolescents took a far more positive stand toward using marijuana regularly than did low-risk adolescents. On a practical level, the integrative model proved to be an effective tool for predicting intention to use marijuana, identifying key variables for interventions, and discriminating between target populations in terms of determinants of marijuana use.Publication Relationships of Stigma and Shame to Gonorrhea and HIV Screening(2002-03-01) Fortenberry, Dennis J; Bleakley, Amy; McFarlane, Mary; Fishbein, Martin; Bull, Sheana; Grimley, Diane M; Malotte, Kevin C; Stoner, Bradley PObjectives. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between stigma and shame associated with seeking treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and undergoing testing for gonorrhea and HIV. Methods. Participants were 847 males and 1126 females (mean age: 24.9 years) in 7 cities. Two scales assessed STD-related stigma and STD-related shame. Results. Rates of stigma and shame were higher among participants without a gonorrhea test in the past year and among those without an HIV test. Sex, age, health service use, previous suspicion of gonorrhea, and low levels of stigma were independently associated with gonorrhea testing. Age, enrollment site, use of health services, gonorrhea testing, and low levels of stigma were independently associated with HIV testing. Conclusions. Shame is part of the experience of seeking STD-related care, but stigma may be a more powerful barrier to obtaining such care.