Attachment 4: Adult Guide

ATTACHMENT 4

Moderator’s Guide: Messages

OMB No. 0930-0196

Expiration Date: 09/30/2013

Public Burden Statement: An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this project is 0930-0196. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.5 hours per respondent per year, including time for responding to questions, reviewing message concepts provided, and sharing reactions and ideas within the group. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 8-1099, Rockville, Maryland, 20857.

SAMHSA Underage Drinking Prevention

National Media Campaign

Focus Group Moderator Guide

PARENTS: EXPOSURE TO MESSAGES

I. Ground Rules and Introductions (5 minutes)

1. Ground Rules

• Thank you for taking time out of your schedules.

• Housekeeping: where rest rooms are if you need them. Please turn off cell phone sounds, don’t answer phones, and please don’t send or read text messages during our session.

• This group session will last 90 minutes.

• There are no right or wrong answers—our goal is to hear a variety of viewpoints, not to reach consensus.

• Comments are private; audio taping is for purposes of report writing only. The observers behind the mirror are my colleagues.

• Speak as loudly as the moderator. Speak one at a time.

• Reminder to talkative and quiet people: everyone gets a chance to speak.

• Feel free to talk to each other, to disagree and agree, but also to be courteous and respectful.

2. Introductions

Let’s have each of you introduce yourselves by saying your first name only, and how many children you have and their ages and genders.

READ: For the purpose of today’s discussion, I want you to mainly think about the child/children you have that are [CODE GROUP RANGE].

II. Frame of Reference/Parenting Issues (10 minutes)

1. As parents/grandparents/primary caregivers of children ages [CODE GROUP RANGE], you probably all have concerns about them. I’d like to ask you to write down on a piece of paper the three biggest issues you typically worry about. Then, put a star next to the one that worries you the most.

• What did you put your star next to?

ASK EACH RESPONDENT WHAT TOP CONCERN THEY WROTE DOWN [EACH PARTICIPANT SHOULD RESPOND].

• What other concerns do you have?

PROBE exhaustively.

III. Basic Knowledge and Attitudes (15 minutes)

This evening I’d like to explore more deeply one particular topic—children drinking alcohol.

1. Currently, do you see drinking as an issue you need to be concerned or worried about with your child/grandchild, or not so much?

PROBE: What makes you concerned? What makes you not concerned?

2. If you were concerned about your child/grandchild drinking, what could you do to prevent it?

3. Have you ever had a conversation with your child/grandchild about alcohol?

[If so] Tell me about the conversations:

PROBE:

• What sparked the conversation?

• What did you talk about?

• How did the conversation go?

• How many times have conversations like this happened?

• Was that conversation comfortable for you? PROBE: Why or why not? Would you say a bit more about that?

• What about for your child­—do you think it was comfortable for him or her? Why or why not?

[If not] Any particular reasons why not?

PROBE:

• Under what circumstances, or at what age, would you want to start these discussions?

• What would the conversations be like?

• How confident or comfortable are you about having these types of conversations?

• What would hold you back?

• How do you think your child would react if you did have this conversation?

• What would be the benefit?

• Do you think it would make a difference, or not?

4. If you were concerned about your child drinking alcohol, where would you go to find information to help you address this concern?

5. What type of information would be most helpful?

6. Have you talked with other parents/grandparents/primary caregivers about children drinking alcohol, or not?

[If yes] Tell me about the conversation(s).

PROBE:

• Where did you have the conversation(s)?

• What did you talk about?

• How did the conversation(s) go?

• Was it easy or hard to talk to other parents/grandparents/primary caregivers?

• How many times have conversations like this happened?

[If not] Any particular reason why not?

PROBE:

• Under what circumstances would you have this type of conversation? (where, when?)

• What would make it easier to talk to other parents?

IV. Language and Terminology (5 minutes)

I want to spend just a moment talking about the words and phrases that we might use to communicate as parents/grandparents/primary caregivers.

1. What words do you use most of the time when talking about your children in general—what feels the most natural, say if you were talking about him or her or them with other people? Maybe just think of a recent conversation you’ve had with someone (Clarify if necessary—not a very close friend or family because with those people you would almost always refer to your child or children by name).

[Unaided] Then PROBE:

• Do you usually or ever say “my son” or “my daughter” or “my son/s and daughter/s?”

• How about “my child” or “my children [“grandchild” or “grandchildren”]?

• How about “my kids?” [plural]

• Do you ever say “my kid?” [singular]

2. Now we want to hear what comes to mind when you hear different words and phrases regarding what professionals call “substance abuse.” What is your reaction to the words:

• Drinking

  • PROBE: Does it suggest drinking alcohol, or also drinking any beverage such as soft drinks, sports drinks, or milk? Does the term drinking raise any questions in your mind?

• Alcohol use

  • PROBE: How does it sound to you? What does it mean? Does it raise any questions in your mind?

• Alcohol abuse

  • PROBE: How does it sound to you? What does it mean?

• Binge drinking

  • PROBE: How does it sound to you? What does it mean?

• Substance use disorder

  • PROBE: How does it sound to you? What does it mean?

• Substance abuse

  • PROBE: How does it sound to you? What does it mean?

• Illegal drugs

  • PROBE: How does it sound to you? What does it mean?

• Illicit drugs

  • PROBE: How does it sound to you? What does it mean?

• Hard drugs

  • PROBE: How does it sound to you? What does it mean?

3. Which word or words would you use in a conversation with close friends to describe the kind of behavior that would concern you about your child?

V. Messages (50 minutes)

Now, I’d like to get your reactions to some messages that have been prepared about underage drinking. These messages will later be developed into a full series of advertisements that may include anything from television and radio ads, to Facebook postings and YouTube videos, to brochures, posters, or text messages.

You’ll see a few different things: a headline for a brochure, a poster, or an ad that may appear in a magazine or on the Internet; a radio script; a themeline; and a few other message ideas.

Please share your honest reactions. I didn’t create any of these messages so I won’t take any of your comments personally. We really want to know what works for parents. Please write on your piece of paper any notes about things you want to remember to discuss.

1. HEADLINES: [ROTATE ORDER]

First, let’s look at this headline: It’s written to gain your attention and motivate you to read further. [MODERATOR HOLDS UP MOUNTED HEADLINE, AND READS IT ALOUD.]

• What are your first impressions—your first thoughts and feelings as you were reading it?

• How does it make you feel?

• LISTEN FOR: surprised, scared, curious, skeptical, offended, annoyed

• What additional information would you want to know after seeing this?

• Now I’d like to explore anything that doesn’t work for you.

• Was there anything that was CONFUSING?

• How about OFFENSIVE or ANNOYING?

• Anything that JUST DOESN’T SOUND RIGHT, or DOESN’T MAKE SENSE, or is HARD TO BELEIVE?

REPEAT FOR ALL HEADLINES

Overall, which headline did you find the most compelling? (Write a few words from that headline on the piece of paper.) What made you choose that one?

B. RADIO SCRIPT

Now I’m going to play a roughly produced radio ad. It’s called a “scratch track”— not completely finished with professional voices, music, and sound effects—because the people who produced this won’t do that until they get feedback from people like you. But after your input they will revise it, and it would sound just like an ad you hear on the radio.

Feel free to jot down any notes as I play it; anything you want to remember. (MODERATOR PLAYS RECORDING.)

• What are your first impressions—your first thoughts and feelings as you heard it?

• How does it make you feel?

• LISTEN FOR: surprised, scared, curious, skeptical, offended, annoyed

• What additional information would you want to know after seeing this?

• Now I’d like to explore anything that doesn’t work for you.

• Was there anything that was CONFUSING?

• How about OFFENSIVE or ANNOYING?

• Anything that JUST DOESN’T SOUND RIGHT, or DOESN’T MAKE SENSE, or is HARD TO BELEIVE?

C. THEMELINE [ROTATE ORDER]

Now we’ll move on to themelines: A themeline is used at the end of any message to capture the entire feeling and purpose of the message points. It’s sort of a summary of the campaign’s meaning. Examples are “Nike. Just do it.” Or “Only you can prevent forest fires.”

[MODERATOR HOLDS UP MOUNTED THEMELINE, AND READS IT ALOUD.]

• What were your first impressions when you saw it?

• What is the best thing about this themeline?

• Is there anything about it that is CONFUSING?

• Anything that JUST DOESN’T SOUND RIGHT, or DOESN’T MAKE SENSE?

REPEAT FOR ALL THEMELINES

Overall, which themeline did you find the strongest? (Write that themeline on the piece of paper.) What made you choose that one?

D. OTHER MESSAGE IDEAS

Now we’ll look at [photos and/or other visuals to be used in Web sites, print ads, brochures, and/or posters]. [MODERATOR HOLDS UP EACH ITEM ONE AT A TIME]

• What were your first impressions when you saw it?

• What is the best thing about this [item]?

• Is it REALISTIC?

• Is there anything about it that is CONFUSING?

• Anything that JUST DOESN’T SEEM RIGHT, or DOESN’T MAKE SENSE?

• If you could change this, how would you change it?

VI. Communication Preferences (3 minutes)

1. Overall, how would you prefer to receive this type of information? [EACH PARTICIPANT SHOULD RESPOND.]

• Read (Where?)

• Hear on the radio (What kind of program or commercial?)

• See on TV (What kind of program or commercial?)

• See on the Internet? (Where on the Internet? Read, or video, or both?)

• Hear from a person you respect? (Like whom? Another parent? Parent you know? Celebrity parent? (Which one?) Doctor, Nurse? School counselor? Teacher? Principal? Athletic coach? PTA meeting?)

• Hear from your child’s school?

• In stores or as part of packaging on products you buy? (Which ones?)

• Get it some other way? (Which?)

PROBE: Cell phone, texting, community group, list serv, Web site?

2. Any other ideas about how to get these kinds of messages in front of you?

VII. Wrap-up (2 minutes)

After all of the things you’ve seen and heard today, is there anything that would make you want to get more involved in making sure your child does not drink? If yes, what appealed to you?