Differences between personal and general alcohol-related beliefs

Using the Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire (revised scoring method) in clinical practice

The Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire (Young & Knight, 1989; Young & Oei, 1996) has been widely used in clinical and research settings over the past 20 years. A revised scoring method with a five-factor structure has been proposed but no norms for this method are available (Lee, Oei, Greeley, & Baglioni, 2003). The aim of this study is to establish sample means for the five expectancy subscales (Social Confidence; Sexual Interest; Cognitive Enhancement; Tension Reduction; and Negative Consequences) in a sample of adults entering hospital treatment for alcohol dependence (N=163) and a sample of university undergraduate students (N=110). Clinical sample means on the expectancy subscales tended to be substantially higher than the means for the student sample, with the exception of Sexual Interest (which was higher in the students). Interestingly, the Negative Consequences subscale mean was more than two standard deviations higher in the clinical sample, and was strongly correlated with measures of depression, anxiety and stress. The Negative Consequences scores were strongly associated with drinking risk in the student sample but were not related to drinking measures in the clinical sample. A ROC analysis established a cut-off on the DEQ total of 107 that distinguished dependent drinkers from student drinkers with high sensitivity and specificity. The clinical utility of the DEQ in general will be discussed.

The role of alcohol expectancy and drinking refusal self-efficacy beliefs in university student drinking

AIMS

University student alcohol misuse is a considerable problem. Alcohol expectancy research has contributed significantly to our understanding of problem drinking in young adults. Most of this research has investigated positive expectancy alone. The current study utilized two measures of alcohol expectancy, the alcohol expectancy questionnaire (AEQ) and the drinking expectancy profile [consisting of the drinking expectancy questionnaire (DEQ) and the drinking refusal self-efficacy questionnaire] to predict severity of alcohol dependence, frequency of drinking, and the quantity of alcohol consumed per occasion.

METHODS

Measures of drinking behaviour and alcohol expectancy were completed by 174 undergraduate university students.

RESULTS

Positive alcohol expectancy factors accounted for significant variance in all three drinking indices, with the DEQ adding additional variance to AEQ scores on frequency and severity of alcohol dependence indices. Negative expectancy did not add incremental variance to the prediction of drinking behaviour in this sample. Drinking refusal self-efficacy and dependence beliefs added additional variance over positive and negative expectancies in the prediction of all three drinking parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive expectancy and drinking refusal self-efficacy were strongly related to university student drinking. The incorporation of expectancy as a means of informing prevention approaches in tertiary education shows promise.

Reasons for drinking alcohol: their relationship to psychosocial variables and alcohol consumption

The present investigation was designed to gain a better understanding of the psychosocial factors that predict reasons for drinking alcohol and how these drinking motives differentially relate to alcohol consumption. Four distinct reasons for drinking alcohol scales were established through factor analysis: drink to cope, drink to be sociable, drink to enhance social confidence, and drink for enjoyment. Multiple regression analyses showed that 1) each reason for drinking was predicted by a somewhat different set of demographic and psychosocial variables, and 2) the reasons for drinking, in turn, differentially predicted multiple indicators of quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption. Theoretical implications of the study results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The tension reduction hypothesis revisited: an alcohol expectancy perspective

The tension reduction hypothesis has been historically and cross-culturally a predominant explanation of alcohol's effects. However, its validation has been inconsistent. One speculative reason for this inconsistency is a failure to control for preheld alcohol expectancies. Past research may have confounded results due to studying populations mixed regarding their expectations of alcohol's tension reducing effects. Only two studies could be found which have comprehensively attempted to control for tension reduction expectancies, both supporting a modified tension reduction hypothesis which does not offer tension reduction as the only explanation of drinking behaviour. The interaction of pharmacology, expectancy, gender role and situation suggest that tension reduction is of major importance in understanding the drinking of many, but not all, individuals. This is consistent with recent 'metatheories' of alcohol use which emphasize the complexity and multiplicity of alcohol's effects. Future theoretical and clinical implications of the revised tension reduction hypothesis and expectancies are briefly discussed.