title: Seniors' uncertainty management of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising usefulness.
abstract: This study provides insight into seniors' perceptions of and responses to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) usefulness, examines support for DTCA regulation as a type of uncertainty management, and extends and gives empirical voice to previous survey results through methodological triangulation. In-depth interview findings revealed that, for most informants, DTCA usefulness was uncertain and this uncertainty stemmed from 4 sources. The majority had negative responses to DTCA uncertainty and relied on 2 uncertainty-management strategies: information seeking from physicians, and inferences of and support for some government regulation of DTCA. Overall, the findings demonstrate the viability of uncertainty management theory (Brashers, 2001, 2007) for mass-mediated health communication, specifically DTCA. The article concludes with practical implications and research recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Nicholson School of Communication, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-1344, USA. ddelorme@mail.ucf.edu
authors.forename: Denise E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: DeLorme
authors.forename: Jisu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huh
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D000368:Aged; D003256:Community Participation; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D035501:Uncertainty
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations