New publication by Sebastian Sattler in Deviant Behavior on social norms
Veröffentlicht am 22. März 2022, 07:31 Uhr
Huber, S., Sattler, S., Mehlkop, G. (2022): Mechanisms of Perceived Social Norms: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Morality and Outcome Expectations on Prescription Drug Misuse in the Working Population. Deviant Behavior. ► LINK
ABSTRACT
While
the nonmedical use of prescription drugs to enhance cognitive
performance (NMUPD-CE) has received increasing media attention and
provoked ethical debates, the social drivers of misusing this
health-related drug remain understudied. Therefore, this study examined
how descriptive and injunctive norms as social influences affect
decisions to engage in NMUPD-CE. We tested competing assumptions about
whether moral acceptability and positive and negative outcome
expectations mediate or moderate the social norms effects. We used data
from a Germany-wide, web-based survey with a sample of adult nonusers
who were recruited offline (N=13,443). We found that 62.09% of
the respondents indicated at least some willingness for NMUPD-CE.
Positive associations occurred between this willingness and both social
norms, high positive and low negative outcome expectations, as well as
higher moral acceptability. Moral acceptability and positive outcome
expectations partially mediated both social norm effects, while negative
outcome expectations only partially mediated injunctive norms.
Moreover, positive and negative outcome expectations also moderated both
social norm effects. This study provides insights into the
understanding of social influence in the context of substance misuse and
beyond. It suggests that social norms operate via moral acceptability
and outcome expectations, while outcome expectations also lead to
differential effects of social norms.
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