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Effectiveness and determinants of narrative-based corrections for health misinformation: A systematic review.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Effectiveness and determinants of narrative-based corrections for health misinformation: A systematic review.
Authors: Okuhara T; Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: okuhara-ctr@umin.ac.jp., Okada H; Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan., Yokota R; Department of Medical Communication, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Japan., Kiuchi T; Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Source: Patient education and counseling [Patient Educ Couns] 2025 Oct; Vol. 139, pp. 109253. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Jul 05.
Publication Type: Journal Article; Systematic Review
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Ireland NLM ID: 8406280 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-5134 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 07383991 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Patient Educ Couns Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: Limerick : Elsevier
Original Publication: Princeton, N.J. : Excerpta Medica, c1983-
MeSH Terms: Communication* , Health Communication*/methods , Narration*, Humans ; COVID-19 ; Social Media
Abstract: Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of narrative-based interventions in correcting health-related misinformation and to identify key message-related, sender-related, and recipient-related factors influencing their success.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in databases including PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, Communication Abstracts, and Web of Science. Eligible studies included quantitative intervention studies examining the impact of narrative-based corrections on health-related misinformation.
Results: Twenty studies covering topics such as COVID-19, vaccination, tobacco use, and e-cigarette use were included. Among the 16 studies comparing narrative and nonnarrative corrections, only four showed that narratives were significantly more effective in reducing misinformation-related beliefs than other message types. Several factors influenced narrative effectiveness. Message-related factors include emotional language, social framing, and message sidedness. Sender-related factors, such as the credibility of the source and relational closeness with recipients, also affected outcomes. Recipient-related factors, including cognitive style, political ideology, and social media use motivation, moderated the intervention effects. Some studies have reported unintended backfire effects in which narratives reinforce misinformation.
Conclusion: Narrative-based corrections show the potential for addressing health-related misinformation; however, their effectiveness remains inconsistent. The variability in narrative design, media platforms, and insufficient theoretical grounding may explain these mixed results. Future research should focus on theoretically informed narratives and systematically examine the influencing factors to optimize misinformation correction strategies.
Practical Implications: The effectiveness of narrative-based corrections on health misinformation depends on thoughtful design grounded in theoretical principles such as transportation, identification, and exemplification. Health communicators should consider narrative length, depth, and emotional content and adapt messages to different platforms (e.g., social media). Tailoring interventions to audience characteristics, such as cognitive styles and prior beliefs, can further enhance efforts to correct misinformation.
(Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Correction; Debunking; Health communication; Health information; Infodemics; Internet; Misinformation; Narrative; Prebunking; Refutation; Social media; Story
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20250712 Date Completed: 20250810 Latest Revision: 20250815
Update Code: 20250816
DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2025.109253
PMID: 40651127
Database: MEDLINE
Description
Abstract:Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.<br />Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of narrative-based interventions in correcting health-related misinformation and to identify key message-related, sender-related, and recipient-related factors influencing their success.<br />Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in databases including PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, Communication Abstracts, and Web of Science. Eligible studies included quantitative intervention studies examining the impact of narrative-based corrections on health-related misinformation.<br />Results: Twenty studies covering topics such as COVID-19, vaccination, tobacco use, and e-cigarette use were included. Among the 16 studies comparing narrative and nonnarrative corrections, only four showed that narratives were significantly more effective in reducing misinformation-related beliefs than other message types. Several factors influenced narrative effectiveness. Message-related factors include emotional language, social framing, and message sidedness. Sender-related factors, such as the credibility of the source and relational closeness with recipients, also affected outcomes. Recipient-related factors, including cognitive style, political ideology, and social media use motivation, moderated the intervention effects. Some studies have reported unintended backfire effects in which narratives reinforce misinformation.<br />Conclusion: Narrative-based corrections show the potential for addressing health-related misinformation; however, their effectiveness remains inconsistent. The variability in narrative design, media platforms, and insufficient theoretical grounding may explain these mixed results. Future research should focus on theoretically informed narratives and systematically examine the influencing factors to optimize misinformation correction strategies.<br />Practical Implications: The effectiveness of narrative-based corrections on health misinformation depends on thoughtful design grounded in theoretical principles such as transportation, identification, and exemplification. Health communicators should consider narrative length, depth, and emotional content and adapt messages to different platforms (e.g., social media). Tailoring interventions to audience characteristics, such as cognitive styles and prior beliefs, can further enhance efforts to correct misinformation.<br /> (Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
ISSN:1873-5134
DOI:10.1016/j.pec.2025.109253