Dataset Information

Does it matter if a story character lives or dies?: a message experiment comparing survivor and death narratives.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

In narratives, characters often face threats where they either live (survivor narratives) or die (death narratives). Both outcomes have the potential to persuade, and are frequently utilised in mass communication campaigns, yet more research is needed examining the relative effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of each strategy.

Design

U.S. adults (N = 1010) were randomly assigned to a 2 (survivor, death) × 2 (non-foreshadowed, foreshadowed) × 2 (within-study replication: narrative 1, narrative 2) between-participants experiment with melanoma stories as stimuli.

Main outcome measures

Intentions to engage in sun safe behaviour and skin self-examination behaviour were assessed in the pre- and posttest, and then transformed into change scores.

Results

Death narratives increased sun safe behaviour intentions. Consistent with the entertainment overcoming resistance model, foreshadowed death narratives were found to increase sun safe behaviour intentions via increased transportation and decreased counterarguing.

Conclusion

Compared to survivor narratives, death narratives increase intentions to engage in sun safe behaviour. The findings offer support for character death as a key feature of narrative persuasion, and narrative transportation and counterarguing as important mediational pathways.

SUBMITTER: Lillie HM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8286982 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Does it matter if a story character lives or dies?: a message experiment comparing survivor and death narratives.

Lillie Helen M HM Pokharel Manusheela M John Kevin K KK Christy Katheryn R KR Upshaw Sean S Giorgi Elizabeth A EA Jensen Jakob D JD

Psychology & health 20210119 4

<h4>Objective</h4>In narratives, characters often face threats where they either live (survivor narratives) or die (death narratives). Both outcomes have the potential to persuade, and are frequently utilised in mass communication campaigns, yet more research is needed examining the relative effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of each strategy.<h4>Design</h4>U.S. adults (<i>N</i> = 1010) were randomly assigned to a 2 (survivor, death) × 2 (non-foreshadowed, foreshadowed) × 2 (within-study re ...[more]

PMID: 33464969

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Project description:BackgroundEndometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic cancer in the U.S. The objective of this cohort study was to characterize the clinical and pathologic features that are associated with endometrial cancer-specific death for women cared for at a single National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.Patients, materials, and methodsThis is a retrospective cohort from 2014 to 2017 including all women who had a hysterectomy for EC. Charts were reviewed for clinical and pathologic data, focusing on survival outcomes.ResultsSeven hundred seventy-one patients with EC underwent hysterectomy with 760 informative for outcomes. Seventy-six (10%) deaths were related to their EC; 62 women died from recurrent EC. Nonendometrioid histology and advanced stage were predictors of recurrence and EC death. Among patients with endometrioid ECs, mismatch repair status was significantly associated with EC-specific survival (relative risk = 4.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.3-10.3; p < .0001). Most patients with EC who recurred died of their disease 62/83 (74.7%). Nearly half of the patients that recurred (27/62) had no additional therapy at the time of recurrence. Overall survival was significantly longer for those women who had additional treatment at the time of recurrence; however, the improvement in overall survival with therapy at recurrence was largely attributable to effects in those women who were adjuvant therapy naïve.ConclusionAlthough there is benefit of treatment at the time of recurrence for treatment-naïve women; only approximately half of patients were able to receive therapy. There is an urgent need for continued efforts for more effective EC therapy in both the front-line and recurrent setting as well as early identification of cancer diagnosis and recurrence.Implications for practiceApproximately 10% of patients died of their endometrial cancer. Most deaths were from recurrent disease; however, almost 20% of endometrial cancer deaths were within 120 days of surgery. Although treatment at the time of recurrence improves overall survival, only approximately half of patients will receive therapy at the time of recurrence. Traditional prognostic features like histology and stage remain important to predict risk of recurrence, and newer biomarkers, such as mismatch repair status, may improve risk stratification and targeted therapy. There remains an urgent need for improved therapy and early detection of diagnosis and recurrence.

Dataset Information

Does it matter if a story character lives or dies?: a message experiment comparing survivor and death narratives.

Objective

Design

Main outcome measures

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Does it matter if a story character lives or dies?: a message experiment comparing survivor and death narratives.

Similar Datasets

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