State-trait communication apprehension dimensions and potential clients' responses to help offering ads

Abstract

The effects of state and trait communication apprehension's impact on potential clients' responses to help offering ads were investigated. Responses to help offering ads in general and to ads with different levels of communication intensive treatment programs were measured. The results indicate that trait apprehension is associated with diminished enthusiasm about help offering, whereas state apprehension is associated with increasing enthusiasm about help. The results also indicate that individuals with high state and state apprehension have different preferences for help offering programs than low apprehension individuals. Individuals with high state and high trait communication apprehension rated communication intensive programs (e.g., those with interactive role plays and videotaping) as most helpful, but were found to be no more likely to use those programs than other programs rated less effective. The findings are consistent with state-trait communication apprehension theory, and indicate that marketing psychological help-offering services may require segmenting promotional communications by problem dimensions and severity. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.