Reducing Television Influences on US Adolescents Who are High Reactance

Watching a lot of television (TV), where alcohol consumption is depicted frequently and mostly positively, can enhance teens' drinking intentions. This influence is particularly problematic among high-reactance teens (that is, those with a predisposition to resist adult control). This study documents one strategy parents can use to counteract TV influences: parental presence during the TV viewing experience (co-viewing). Survey data were collected from a nationally representative sample of parents and their children aged 13-17 (N = 396). Parents reported how they monitored their children's TV consumption, and adolescents completed a survey in which they reported the amount of TV they watch, completed a trait reactance scale and indicated their views and intentions regarding drinking. Results revealed that the influence of TV viewing on adolescents' drinking intentions was lower for teens high in trait reactance who grew up with parents who co-view television with them. This did not occur when parents adopted instructive or restrictive communication strategies. The parental monitoring strategy of co-viewing thus emerges as a promising protective approach for a population that has traditionally been considered vulnerable (i.e., high reactance teens).