Using psychological reactance theory (Brehm, 1966) as an explanatory framework, this dissertation experimentally tests the effects of appeal type, restoration type, and self-construal on freedom threat perceptions, reactance arousal, and receptiveness of health risk messages on two different populations (Taiwan and U.S.A.) within Western and Eastern cultural contexts. Self-construal and culturalism constructs are applied to examine the influence of culture-related issues on the manifestation of psychological reactance. Relative to culturalism, several findings indicate self-construal is more predictive of reactance arousal and its associated effects on the processing of persuasive health risk messages. Moreover, the positive association between threat perception and reactance arousal may be less apparent then previously assumed. Finally, as found in previous research, the effectiveness of restoration postscripts at reducing reactance was affirmed; however, the nuanced nature of their effectiveness requires some qualification: Each of the five restoration postscript methods used in this study was effective at reducing perceived threat to freedom only in combination with its correspondingly appropriate message appeal type. The ramifications of these results for the effective design of public service announcements (PSAs) targeting risky health behaviors in emerging adults is discussed, and recommendations are offered for producing successful PSAs advocating substance abuse prevention and safe sex within Western and Eastern cultural contexts.