Influences of parenting styles on perceptions of high-freedom-threatening language in anti-drug messages in Hong Kong

Abstract

<p>This paper considers the notion derived from psychological reactance theory that Asian audiences, Chinese in particular, have a less negative attitude towards high-freedom-threatening (HT) messages owing to their collectivistic culture that places less value on individual freedom. The attitudes of 48 participants studying at a local university in Hong Kong towards HT messages in anti-drug campaigns revealed clear preferences for HT messages. Our findings highlight that such a positive attitude cannot be explained solely by collectivistic values of freedom. Instead, we found the influence of traditional Chinese parenting styles experienced during childhood as a potential origin of such perceptions. These findings emphasise the need for a nuanced understanding of the factors shaping attitudes towards HT messages in Asian contexts and the development of more effective anti-drug messaging strategies tailored to the preferences and cultural backgrounds of the target audiences.</p>

这项研究探讨一个来自心理抗拒理论的观点。这观点认为亚洲受众，特别是华人，对威胁个人自由的信息（HT信息）可能会有较少抵触。现有学者认为这是因为华人的集体主义文化让他们相对不太看重个人自由。我们的研究调查了48位香港本地大学生对禁毒宣传中HT信息的态度，结果显示他们明显偏好HT信息。然而，这种对HT信息的偏好不能仅仅通过集体主义价值观来解释。我们发现，受访者童年时期接受的华人家庭教养方式，也可能是形成这一态度的潜在因素。这一发现强调了我们需要更深入了解亚洲文化，尤其是华人文化，如何影响受众对HT信息的态度。这为设计更有针对性、更符合华人文化特点的禁毒宣传策略提供了重要启示。