Degrees:
M.A., Communication, Washington State University
B.Sc., Journalism, University of Kansas
Teaching experience:
COM 101: Media and Society (Instructor-of-record)
COM 105: Communication in Global Contexts (TA)
COM 210: Multimedia Content Creation (Instructor-of-record)
COM 225: Sports and the Media (TA)
Research interests:
Health communication
Media effects
Message development
Campaign design
Violence reduction
Social media and health
Substance use reduction
Sexual health
Publications:
Hust, S. J. T., Kang, S., Couto, L., Li, J., & Rodgers, K. B. (In Press). Explaining college men’s rape myth acceptance: The role of sports media, masculinity norms & fraternity membership. Journal of Health Communication.
Willoughby, J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Couto, L., Kang, S., Pingel, B., Li, J., Austin, B. W., Brooks, O., Burduli, E., & Barbosa-Leiker, C. (2023). Examining science and media literacy health communication messages to reduce intentions to use cannabis while pregnant. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000923
Willoughby, J. F., Couto, L., Kang, S., Randall, J., Kirkpatrick, A. W., Lee, D. K. L., Su, Y., Booth, A. M., & Domgaard, S. (2023). An exploratory content analysis of the use of health communication strategies and presence of objectification in fitness influencer social media posts. Health Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2190248
Willoughby, J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Couto, L., Li, J., Kang, S., Nickerson, C. G., Price, R., & Tlachi‐Munoz, S. (2023). The impact of sexual scripts in brand‐generated cannabis social media posts on sex‐related cannabis expectancies: Does body appreciation moderate effects? Drug & Alcohol Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13642
Gillig, T. K., Booth, A., & Couto, L. (2023). Anxiety, COVID-19 risk, and LGBTQ+ youth’s participation in an affirming summer camp. Journal of LGBT Youth. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2023.2166641
Willoughby, J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Li, J., & Couto, L. (2023) Exposure to pro and anti-cannabis social media messages and adolescents’ and college students’ intentions to use cannabis. Health Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2162707
Couto, L., Hust, S. J. T., Rodgers, K. B., Kang, S., & Li, J. (2022). A content analysis of music lyrics exploring the co-occurrence of violence, sexual content, and degrading terms towards women. Sexuality & Culture, 26, 1965-1980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-09978-2
Willoughby J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Couto, L., Kang, S., Pingel, B., Li, J., & Barbosa-Leiker, C. (2022). An online mixed methods approach to developing narrative health communication messages. Sage Research Methods: Doing Research Online. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529602197
Willoughby, J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Li, J., & Couto, L. (2022) Social media, marijuana, and sex: An exploratory study of adolescents’ intentions to use and young adults’ use of recreational marijuana. Journal of Sex Research, 59(1), 85-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1827217
Willoughby J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Li, J. & Couto, L. (2021). Measurement invariance of the sex-related marijuana expectancies scale across age and gender. Journal of Sex Research, 58(8), 967–975. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2021.1943736
Hust, S. J. T., Willoughby, J. F., Li, J., & Couto, L. (2020). Youth’s proximity to marijuana retailers and advertisements: Factors associated with Washington state adolescents’ intentions to use marijuana. Journal of Health Communication, 25(7), 594–603. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2020.1825568
Willoughby, J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Li, J., Couto, L., Kang, S., & Domgaard, S. (2020). Parents, peers, and pot: An exploratory study of adolescents’ social media sharing of marijuana-related content. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, & Social Networking, 23(9), 642-646. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0721
Conference presentations:
Hust, S. J. T., Couto, L., Kang, S., Willoughby, J. F., Nickerson, C. G., Price, R., & Johnson, O. (2023, April). Alcohol-fueled sexual activity in the media: An integrative model approach to understand its effects on women’s sexual consent negotiation [Poster presentation]. Society for Research on Adolescents conference, San Diego, CA, USA.
Thomas, C., Hust, S. J. T., Willoughby, J. F., Couto, L., Kang, S., Nickerson, C. G., & Price, R. (2023, March). Communicating research across audiences: How to effectively translate academic research to non-academic audiences, stakeholders, and prevention specialists/policymakers [Paper presentation]. Art and Science of Health Promotion conference, Hilton Head Island, SC, USA.
Couto, L. (2022, May). You can(not) reroll: A comparison between predictors of gacha gaming and gambling spending intentions [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) conference (virtual).
Willoughby, J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Li, J., Couto, L., & Kang, S. (2022, May) Examining the impact of exposure to and perceptions of risky cannabis brand-generated Instagram posts on college students’ sex-related cannabis expectancies and intentions to use cannabis prior to sex [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) conference (virtual).
Couto, L., & Hust, S. (2021, August). It was all consensual: The news, sexual assault, and student athletes [Paper presentation]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference (virtual).
Hust, S. J. T., Kang, S., Couto, L., & Rodgers, K. B. (2021, May). Adherence to sexual stereotypes & sex-related alcohol expectancies: explaining young women’s sexting during the coronavirus pandemic [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) conference (virtual).
Couto, L., Hust, S. J. T., Kang, S., & Li, J. (2020, May). An investigation of the co-occurrence of sexual content, violence, and use of derisive terms towards women in music lyrics [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) conference (virtual).
Willoughby, J. F., Couto, L., Kang, S., Randall, J., Kirkpatrick, A. W., Lee, D., Su, Y., Booth, A. M., & Domgaard, S. (2020, May). Encouraging action or perceived inadequacy? A content analysis of health and fitness influencers’ Instagram posts [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) conference (virtual).
Hust, S. J. T., Kang, S., Couto, L., & Li, J. (2020, August). The association of fraternity membership, sports media, and masculinity norms with college men’s acceptance of rape myths [Paper presentation]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference (virtual).
Willoughby J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Li, J., & Couto, L. (2020, August). Measurement invariance of the sex-related marijuana expectancies scale across age and gender [Paper presentation]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference (virtual).
Willoughby, J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Li, S., & Couto, L. (2020, May). Social media, marijuana, and sex: An exploratory study of adolescents’ intentions to use and young adults’ use of recreational marijuana [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association (ICA) conference (virtual).
Willoughby, J. F., Hust, S. J. T., Li, J., Couto, L., Kang, S., & Domgaard, S. (2019, August). Parents, peers, and pot: Adolescents’ social media sharing of marijuana-related content [Paper presentation]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference, Toronto, Canada.
Awards:
2023 Richard R. and Constance M. Albrecht Scholarship Award
2020-2024 Keith and Turi Jackson Fellowship Recipient
2019-2020 Brelsford Scholarship Recipient
Bio:
Leticia Couto, M.A., is a Ph.D. candidate in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. She has conducted research involving quantitative and qualitative methods, such as surveys, experiments, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and content analyses. Her areas of interest include sexual health, which encompasses sexual risk behavior, sexual violence, violence against women, and romantic relationships; substance use, particularly as it relates to sexual risk behavior, focusing on cannabis and alcohol consumption; and body image, focusing on how positive messages including body positivity can improve body image. In these three areas, she applies communication lenses by creating theory-driven messaging to address these issues and by investigating media effects in entertainment and social media depicting these behaviors. Her population of interest in young adults and adolescents, and she has conducted research with both groups. She has published in the Journal of Sex Research, the Journal of Health Communication, and Sexuality & Culture, among others.
Further, Leticia has not only taught multiple classes focusing on the role of media in society and content creation, but she also has guest lectured in PR-focused classes and at a graduate-level methods seminar. She also held an internship position at Spectrum Labs, a leading Generative AI company in the United States the focuses on Trust and Safety in online environments.