Papers by Cynthia A Hoffner
Encyclopedia of Health Communication
Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media, 2007
The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication
Current Opinion in Psychology, 2022
Parasocial relationships (PSRs) are nonreciprocal socio-emotional connections with media figures ... more Parasocial relationships (PSRs) are nonreciprocal socio-emotional connections with media figures such as celebrities or influencers. Social media platforms afford the opportunity for PSRs to beneficially influence multiple dimensions of well-being among media users, but adverse well-being outcomes may also occur. PSRs on social media can promote healthy attitudes and behaviors and lower health-related stigma, but may adversely impact mental health through negative self-comparisons. PSRs also can enhance feelings of connection and community, facilitate coping, foster personal development and identity exploration, and reduce prejudice (through parasocial contact). Explorations into how the unique aspects of social media platforms play a role in well-being outcomes of PSRs are just beginning, but insights from the growing body of evidence indicate both promise and challenges.
Health Communication, 2019
Grounded in work on health narratives of public figures, an online survey (N = 305) explored ampl... more Grounded in work on health narratives of public figures, an online survey (N = 305) explored amplification of Carrie Fisher's mental health advocacy following her death through sharing about mental health on SNSs. Parasocial relationship (PSR) to Fisher and grief in response to her death both predicted greater sharing about mental health on social network sites, but parasocial grief fully mediated the influence of PSR on social sharing. Prosocial motivations (pleasure, pressure) moderated the relationship between parasocial grief and social sharing. In a separate analysis, parasocial grief predicted greater exposure to both media about mental health and media that mourned/celebrated Fisher. Mental health-related media exposure mediated the influence of parasocial grief on social sharing, but this mediation occurred only among people who were not aware of Fisher's mental health advocacy prior to her death.
Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2017
This study examined the perceived influence of news coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings on se... more This study examined the perceived influence of news coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings on self and others’ attitudes about mental illness, and behavioral outcomes (including willingness to seek social connections and willingness to seek and disclose mental health treatment), as a function of personal experience with mental illness (none, family, self). We conducted an online survey of 198 adults within about 1 month of the event. Perceived negative influence of news on others’ attitudes, but not self, was higher for those who had greater experience with mental illness. Fear predicted perceived news influence on self (but not others), primarily for people who had no personal experience with mental illness. Further, for people without mental illness experience, perceived news influence on their own attitudes toward mental illness was associated with more engagement in support/comfort activities and greater likelihood of online opinion expression. In contrast, for people with mental illness, perceiving that others’ attitudes had become more negative was associated with less engagement in support/comfort activities. Finally, perceived news influence on self was related to less willingness to disclose mental health treatment. Implications of the findings are discussed from the perspective of the influence of presumed influence model and intergroup emotions theory.
Journal of Communication, 2011
Hostile news perceptions, perceived media influence, and behavioral outcomes among Republicans an... more Hostile news perceptions, perceived media influence, and behavioral outcomes among Republicans and Democrats were examined before and after the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Predictions were grounded in social identity/self-categorization theories, and influence of presumed influence. Hostile news perceptions were greater among Republicans, especially Fox News viewers. Third-person perceptions (TPPs) for ingroup and outgroup (own party, other party) varied based on media message (debates, news, spin, polls, comedy) and party affiliation. TPPs were larger for the outgroup than the ingroup, but only for Republicans. Following the election, changes in media perceptions were related to the election outcome and interpersonal discussion. Greater perceived influence on outgroup voters was associated with stronger support for censorship, and a lower voting likelihood among Democrats.
Computers in Human Behavior, 2020
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Mass Communication and Society, 2020
ABSTRACT Although likability and parasocial relationships (PSRs) typically go hand in hand, peopl... more ABSTRACT Although likability and parasocial relationships (PSRs) typically go hand in hand, people can dislike media figures they are bonded to, or they can feel disconnected from media figures that they like. To examine the interplay of PSRs and liking, an experiment investigated responses to celebrities who made sexual harassment allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein. Participants were assigned to complete a liking or disliking priming task. Those who reported greater liking for the celebrity were more likely to find her allegations believable and expressed a greater willingness to report personal sexual harassment experiences. The influence of likability was reduced when PSR was stronger. The study shows that celebrity disliking can be primed, it shows the utility of examining liking and PSRs separately, and it suggests that media coverage of celebrity allegations may have inspired others to disclose sexual harassment experiences as part of the Me Too movement.
Health communication, Jan 19, 2017
This study explores responses to the death of actor/comedian Robin Williams, focusing on the role... more This study explores responses to the death of actor/comedian Robin Williams, focusing on the role of celebrity attachment and exposure to media coverage following his suicide. A total of 350 respondents recruited on Mechanical Turk completed an online survey. Participants who had a stronger parasocial relationship with Williams reported lower social distance from people with depression, greater willingness to seek treatment for depression, and more frequent outreach to other people with depression or suicidal thoughts following his death. Exposure to media coverage of suicide/depression - both informational and stigmatizing - was associated with more frequent outreach to others, but only informational coverage was related to greater willingness to seek treatment. Stigmatizing media exposure was related to greater depression stereotypes. Seeing more media stories celebrating Williams' life and career was associated with reduced depression stigma but also with less willingness to ...
Stigma and Health, 2017
This study explored how people with anxiety disorders responded to the TV series Monk, about a ho... more This study explored how people with anxiety disorders responded to the TV series Monk, about a homicide investigator with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Respondents were 44 individuals with OCD or another anxiety disorder who were recruited from online mental health support sites. They completed an online survey that elicited open-ended responses as well as supplemental ratings of the series/lead character. Their evaluations of the portrayal of mental illness on Monk were mixed, with both favorable and critical assessments offered. Many respondents suggested that the series challenged stereotypes by showing a character with mental illness who was successful and lived a productive life, yet others argued that the show reinforced some stereotypes of OCD. Respondents offered varied responses to the use of humor in relation to mental illness, but were relatively critical of the accuracy/realism of the depiction of OCD and the portrayal of Adrian Monk’s mental health treatment. The measures of perceived influence on respondents’ own and others’ attitudes toward mental illness offered insight into the potential impact of the series on public stigma and self-stigma. Implications for the study of media and mental illness stigma are discussed.
The International Encyclopedia of Media Studies, 2012
Fear responses to media exert a powerful influence over people's perceptions, expectations, a... more Fear responses to media exert a powerful influence over people's perceptions, expectations, and behavior. Grounded in emotion theory, this chapter provides a framework for understanding fear responses to mediated threats in three areas of media scholarship: immediate responses to media, risk perceptions, and intergroup relations. First, the chapter examines why and how mediated messages evoke fear, and the consequences of fear during and after media use. Second, theory and research on the relationship between media-induced fear and risk perceptions are reviewed. Third, media-related fear is examined in the context of social relations, focusing on (1) how framing various groups as threats can lead to fear, stereotyping, and behavioral responses, and (2) how groups portrayed as threats respond when anticipating media influence on others. Finally, limitations of the literature and suggestions for future research (including the role of new technologies) are discussed. Keywords: Fear responses; Threat; Media psychology; Emotion regulation; Risk perceptions; Intergroup relation
Journal of Health Psychology, 2012
Trait empathy and self-interest exert a strong influence on different prosocial behaviors, but th... more Trait empathy and self-interest exert a strong influence on different prosocial behaviors, but their role in the promotion of organ donation registration is unclear. A survey examined how perceived benefits of organ donation for others and the self affect people’s willingness to register as donors. Perceived other-benefits did not predict registration. Those with lower risk and greater self-benefit perceptions were more willing to donate. Empathic concern predicted donation willingness and moderated the effect of other-benefit perceptions, such that other-benefit perceptions predicted donation willingness among those with greater empathic concern. Applications of these findings to organ donation promotion are discussed.
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 2012
This study explored responses to Monk, a television series about a detective with obsessive compu... more This study explored responses to Monk, a television series about a detective with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), from the perspective of parasocial relationships and the influence of presumed influence model. Series fans completed an online survey. A stronger parasocial relationship to Monk was associated with lower OCD stereotypes and less desired social distance from people with OCD. Perceived influence of Monk on respondents' own and others' attitudes toward OCD was related to behavioral and psychological outcomes, including willingness to seek and disclose mental health treatment and perceived self-esteem benefits. Different patterns were observed based on experience with mental illness and with OCD specifically.
Communication Research Reports, 2012
A cisão existente na ciência política entre, de um lado, os que trabalham com teoria e, de outro,... more A cisão existente na ciência política entre, de um lado, os que trabalham com teoria e, de outro, aqueles que se dedicam aos estudos empíricos sobre as instituições é um fato que se tornou notório desde a institucionalização da disciplina, em particular no Brasil (Amorim Neto e Santos, 2005). O alijamento entre as abordagens conceituais da política e as análises empíricas de suas instituições impõe indubitáveis limites ao desenvolvimento interno de cada uma destas subdivisões disciplinares e, sobretudo, implica a ausência de uma cooperação essencial à solução dos dilemas políticos e dos impasses sociais do mundo contemporâneo. No caso específico da teoria política, a ausência de diálogo com a empiria parece ser ainda mais nociva, pois, a despeito do inegável valor intrínseco do tratamento filosófico e histórico da política, uma significativa parcela das teorizações recentes parece estar cada vez mais apartada da experiência-única instância que permitiria validá-las, aplicá-las e refleti-las na realidade concreta, de modo a não permitir que sejam reduzidas unicamente ao seu valor heurístico. As causas do divórcio entre a teoria política contemporânea e os estudos empíricos sobre as instituições políticas não podem ser reduzidas 657 * Agradeço ao parecerista anônimo de DADOS pelos valiosos comentários e construtivas críticas que me forçaram a uma longa reflexão sobre este texto e um ainda mais longo processo de reescrita que culminou em importantes reformulações nesta versão final. Agradeço também a Leonardo Avritzer pelo fundamental incentivo para que eu publicasse este artigo e, mais importante, não deixasse de acreditar nas ideias nele expressas.
Health Communication
ABSTRACT African American women (AAW) experience higher burdens of disease and have the highest r... more ABSTRACT African American women (AAW) experience higher burdens of disease and have the highest rate of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes when compared to females of other ethnic groups. Health narratives are a communication strategy that has been used to improve population health outcomes. Narrative storytelling is considered to be effective for improving health outcomes in African Americans because of the strong cultural storytelling background. The purpose of this study was to determine if health narratives have a significant effect on persuasion among AAW, as measured by changes in attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and behaviors. Meta-analysis of health narrative experiments (k = 13) for AAW (N = 2,746) revealed that health narratives have a significant overall effect on persuasion (d = .243; p < .01). Sub-group analyses revealed no significant difference between audio-visual and written-based narratives, and no significant difference between general health topics and cancer topics. Narrative communication was effective for promoting health in AAW. These findings imply that narratives can effectively be used as an audio-visual or written-based communication for AAW, and that health topic may not impact outcomes of narrative communication.
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Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media, 2007
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Papers by Cynthia A Hoffner