Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, Vol 57(1), Jan 2025, 34-43; doi:10.1037/cbs0000404
Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death to Canadian children. Previous research has shown that youth who engage in physical risk-taking experience more injuries, and that a positive elevated mood state leads to a greater frequency of physical risk taking in children. Addressing this issue, the present study examined whether exposure to framed messages about safety could reduce risk behaviours when children are in a positive elevated mood state. Children (7–10 years) were randomly assigned to experience either a framed message (gain frame emphasizing how to behave in order to remain safe or loss frame emphasizing potential injury consequences of risk behaviours) or a control (neutral) message after a positive mood was induced. Children’s risk taking was measured before (baseline) and after a positive mood had been induced, and they were exposed to the appropriate message. Results indicated the positive mood induction procedure was successful and led to increased risk taking, as expected. Gain- and loss-framed messages both counteracted this mood effect and led to reductions in risk taking, although the loss frame had greater impact than the gain frame to reduce risk taking. Implications for child injury prevention are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)