Sex Guilt and Receptivity to Condom Advertising

The personal and social costs of unintended pregnancy and HIV infection point to the need for ongoing research designed to enhance the effectiveness of preventive advertising, particularly to those segments at greatest risk. One segment that appears to be at significant risk is comprised of individuals who experience high levels of guilt about sex. This study seeks to determine whether high sex‐guilt (SG) individuals are unique in their processing, recall, and evaluative responses to advertising for condoms. Two hundred fifty‐two college‐aged men and women were randomly assigned to two versions of a condom advertisement that differed in terms of self‐ referencing vs. other‐referencing in the message copy. A 2 × 2 × 3 (Gender × Self‐ Versus Other‐Referencing Message Copy × High, Moderate, and Low Sex Guilt), between subjects ANOVA design was used to test hypothesized relationships. For female, but not male, participants, high SG was inversely related to depth of processing, recall, positive thoughts about the ad, and perceived credibility of the ad. For both genders, high SG was inversely related to perceived ad informativeness, attitude toward the ad, and attitude toward the brand. Message design interacted with SG and gender on an important outcome measure—purchase intention. Study implications are discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested.