This investigation tested the ability of different resistance strategies to protect the positive COO image attributed to products in the face of singe and multiple competitor attacks. The results illustrate the superiority of refutational over supportive and restoration messages in protecting the positive COO image when facing single or multiple attacks. Also, the results indicate that refutational defenses, in which the message content (affective, cognitive or combined) is matched with the base of the attitude (affective or cognitive), provide best protection against combined competitor attacks (affective and cognitive). Combined refutational defenses work better than mismatching refutational defenses, but not as well as matching refutational defenses. However, when facing multiple attacks, matching and combined refutational defenses work equally well and better than mismatching refutational defenses.

This study focused on 18- and 19-year old late adolescents, seeking to increase our understanding of the theoretical frameworks associated with adolescent sexual and contraceptive communicative behavior. Identity and self esteem were used to investigate these antecedents influence on adolescent communication, including communication self efficacy, comfort discussing sex and contraception, and perceived communication self efficacy regarding sex and contraception. This study offered a framework for understanding adolescent communication related to sex and contraception, illustrating that adolescents identity status does increase communication efficacy. However, the results did not confirm a relationship between identity status, and sex and contraceptive discussions.