The Uptake and Measurement of Alternative Approaches to Domestic Violence Intervention Programs: A Scoping Review.

This scoping review explores the breadth and depth to which Domestic Violence Intervention Programs (DVIPs) in the United States and globally: (a) incorporate components that address the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and social injustice, racism, economic inequality, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); (b) use restorative (RJ)/transformative justice (TJ) practices, individualized case management, partnerships with social justice actors, and strengths-based parenting training in current programming; and (c) measure effectiveness. In 2021, we searched 12 academic databases using a combination of search terms and Medical Subject Headings. In all, 27 articles that discussed at least one key concept relative to DVIP curricula were included in the final review. Findings suggest that very few DVIPs address ACEs and/or the relationship between structural violence, social inequality, and IPV perpetration. Even fewer programs use restorative practices including RJ or TJ. Furthermore, DVIPs use inconsistent methods and measures to evaluate effectiveness. To respond to IPV perpetration more effectively and create lasting change, DVIPs must adopt evidence-informed approaches that prioritize social and structural determinants of violence, trauma-informed care, and restoration.

TikToks Lead to Higher Knowledge and Perceived Severity of Sexual Violence among Adolescent Men.

Social media communication is a promising way to deliver important health messages about sexual violence to a key population of adolescent men. The researchers conducted an online, between-participants experiment to examine the impact of personal narrative TikToks about sexual violence on adolescent men. Participants were adolescent men (n = 580) aged 15 to 19 (M = 17.3, SD = 1.43). Participants were randomly assigned to treatment (personal narrative TikToks about sexual violence) or control (hair braiding TikTok tutorials) conditions. Adolescent men who viewed personal narrative TikToks about sexual violence had higher knowledge of consequences and higher perceived severity of sexual violence. Additionally, adolescent men found personal narrative TikToks more attention-grabbing (vs. control) and did not have negative reactions. Findings that short (approximately one-minute) TikTok videos led to differences in knowledge and beliefs among, and were interesting and not aversive to, adolescent men are important for sexual violence prevention research. Health messages on TikTok can help shift adolescent perceptions of sexual violence, which is a key starting point towards changing norms.

Exposure and Reactions to Cancer Treatment Misinformation and Advice: Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Cancer treatment misinformation, or false claims about alternative cures, often spreads faster and farther than true information on social media. Cancer treatment misinformation can harm the psychosocial and physical health of individuals with cancer and their cancer care networks by causing distress and encouraging people to abandon support, potentially leading to deviations from evidence-based care. There is a pressing need to understand how cancer treatment misinformation is shared and uncover ways to reduce misinformation. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to better understand exposure and reactions to cancer treatment misinformation, including the willingness of study participants to prosocially intervene and their intentions to share Instagram posts with cancer treatment misinformation. METHODS: We conducted a survey on cancer treatment misinformation among US adults in December 2021. Participants reported their exposure and reactions to cancer treatment misinformation generally (saw or heard, source, type of advice, and curiosity) and specifically on social media (platform, believability). Participants were then randomly assigned to view 1 of 3 cancer treatment misinformation posts or an information post and asked to report their willingness to prosocially intervene and their intentions to share. RESULTS: Among US adult participants (N=603; mean age 46, SD 18.83 years), including those with cancer and cancer caregivers, almost 1 in 4 (142/603, 23.5%) received advice about alternative ways to treat or cure cancer. Advice was primarily shared through family (39.4%) and friends (37.3%) for digestive (30.3%) and natural (14.1%) alternative cancer treatments, which generated curiosity among most recipients (106/142, 74.6%). More than half of participants (337/603, 55.9%) saw any cancer treatment misinformation on social media, with significantly higher exposure for those with cancer (53/109, 70.6%) than for those without cancer (89/494, 52.6%; P<.001). Participants saw cancer misinformation on Facebook (39.8%), YouTube (27%), Instagram (22.1%), and TikTok (14.1%), among other platforms. Participants (429/603, 71.1%) thought cancer treatment misinformation was true, at least sometimes, on social media. More than half (357/603, 59.2%) were likely to share any cancer misinformation posts shown. Many participants (412/603, 68.3%) were willing to prosocially intervene for any cancer misinformation posts, including flagging the cancer treatment misinformation posts as false (49.7%-51.4%) or reporting them to the platform (48.1%-51.4%). Among the participants, individuals with cancer and those who identified as Black or Hispanic reported greater willingness to intervene to reduce cancer misinformation but also higher intentions to share misinformation. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer treatment misinformation reaches US adults through social media, including on widely used platforms for support. Many believe that social media posts about alternative cancer treatment are true at least some of the time. The willingness of US adults, including those with cancer and members of susceptible populations, to prosocially intervene could initiate the necessary community action to reduce cancer treatment misinformation if coupled with strategies to help individuals discern false claims.

Optimising messages and images for e-cigarette warnings.

BACKGROUND: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to have a single addiction warning, but many other health harms are associated with vaping and warnings grow stale over time. We aimed to develop new warning messages and images to discourage e-cigarette use. METHODS: Participants were 1629 US adults who vaped or smoked. We randomised each participant to evaluate 7 of 28 messages on newly developed warning themes (metals exposure, DNA mutation, cardiovascular problems, chemical exposure, lung damage, impaired immunity, addiction), and the current FDA-required warning (total of 8 messages). Then, participants evaluated images of hazards (eg, metal), internal harms (eg, organ damage) or people experiencing harms. RESULTS: Regarding intended effects, new warning themes all discouraged vaping more than the current FDA-required warning (all p<0.001), led to greater negative affect (all p<0.001) and led to more anticipated social interactions (all p<0.001). The most discouraging warnings were about toxic metals exposure. Regarding unintended effects, the new themes led to more stigma against people who vape (6 of 7 themes, p<0.001) and led to a greater likelihood of thinking vaping is more harmful than smoking (all 7 themes, p<0.001), although unintended effects were smaller than intended effects. Images of harms (internal or people experiencing) discouraged vaping more than images of hazards (all p<0.001). DISCUSSION: Vaping warning policies should communicate a broader range of hazards and harms, beyond addiction, to potentially increase awareness of health harms. Images of internal harm or people experiencing harms may be particularly effective at discouraging vaping.

Social Media Communication About Sexual Violence May Backfire: Online Experiment with Young Men.

Sexual violence harms millions of individuals each year in the United States. Survivors of sexual violence endure long-term hardships such as significant financial setbacks, physical and mental health consequences, academic challenges, and stunted career achievement. Digital feminist activism (DFA) has created space online where women can disclose experiences of sexual violence. Research thus far has been limited to documenting the existence and value of DFA for those who participate and has not addressed whether DFA can influence a key demographic for prevention, young men. We conducted an experiment to examine the impact of DFA on college-aged men's reactance to messaging, rape myth acceptance, knowledge about severity, and susceptibility to perpetrate sexual violence. University men (n=230, 18-29 years old) were randomized to one of three conditions: (1) tweets from women challenging rape myths, (2) tweets from women providing information about sexual violence harms, or (3) no exposure control. Tweets challenging rape myths or providing information did not impact rape myth perceptions, knowledge, or susceptibility. Participants had greater reactance (unintended outcome) to tweets challenging rape myths, and subsequently higher rape myth acceptance and lower knowledge about the severity of sexual violence. Rape myth acceptance was associated with susceptibility to perpetrate sexual violence overall. Our finding that some forms of DFA have a negative, indirect influence among college-aged males highlights important unintended consequences and the need for more efficacious communication to prevent sexual violence perpetration.

Exploring Music Therapists' Experiences With and Perceptions About Copyrighted Music: A Thematic Analysis.

Patient-preferred music is often copyrighted music; prior research, however, has paid scant attention to music therapists' understanding and use of copyrighted music. To fill a gap in the literature, this exploratory study sought to understand music therapists' experiences and perceptions about permissible therapeutic uses of copyrighted music. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 board-certified music therapists working in the United States. Collectively, these participants had over 300 years of professional experience. The interview transcripts were analyzed using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. Five main themes were identified: (1) copyright concerns created a complex psychological burden; (2) therapeutic needs warranted use of copyrighted music; (3) perceptions varied on permissible therapeutic practices using copyrighted music; (4) varied sources informed an understanding of copyright law; and (5) copyright clarity was needed to reduce the psychological burden. These themes suggest that psychological stress was produced by copyright uncertainty coupled with attempts by participants to satisfy diverse interests and protect multiple stakeholders, including patients, employers, their profession, and the law. Our findings suggest that a lack of clarity about permissible uses of copyrighted music can complicate music therapists' decision-making about appropriate therapeutic interventions. Clarity on permissible therapeutic uses of music could yield benefits for music therapists, patients, and the community.

Negative Perceptions of Young People Using E-Cigarettes on Instagram: An Experiment With Adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Although e-cigarette marketing on social media increases positive attitudes and experimentation, little is known about non-influencer e-cigarette portrayals of young people. AIMS AND METHODS: High school adolescents (n = 928, 15-18) were recruited by Lightspeed Health for an online experiment and randomized to view an Instagram post with or without e-cigarette use. Outcomes were positive and negative perceptions (prototypes), social distance, and willingness to use. RESULTS: Half (50%) of participants were susceptible to e-cigarette use. E-cigarettes shown (vs. not) led to less positive prototypes, p = .017, more negative prototypes, p = .004, and more social distance, p < .001. Negative prototypes and social distance were moderated by susceptibility (both p < .05); effects among non-susceptible adolescents only. Showing e-cigarettes did not impact willingness to use if offered. CONCLUSIONS: Negative perceptions of e-cigarettes use challenge assumptions that vaping online is universally admirable. Highlighting unfavorable opinions of vaping or negative impacts for adolescents' social image are potential strategies for tobacco counter-marketing. IMPLICATIONS: Despite daily use of visual-based social media by most adolescents, little is known about the influence of e-cigarette use among young people online. Adolescent negative perceptions and desired distance from non-influencers using e-cigarettes on Instagram indicate digital e-cigarette portrayals are not universally accepted. Negative impacts for adolescents' social image present a counter-marketing strategy.