Alcohol expectancies and social deficits relating to problem drinking among college students

• Published in: Addictive behaviors Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 295 - 299
• Main Authors: Lewis, Beth A., O'Neill, H.Katherine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2000; New York, NY Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcohol expectancies; Alcohol use; Alcoholic Intoxication - psychology; Alcoholism; Alcoholism - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; College students; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Motivation; Personality Inventory; Problem drinking; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Set (Psychology); Social Adjustment; Social deficits; Social Environment; Students - psychology; Alcohol expectancies; Social deficits; Problem drinking; Human; Consumption; Alcoholic beverage; Social behavior; Young adult; Predisposition; Student; Expectation
• ISSN: 0306-4603; 1873-6327
• DOI: 10.1016/S0306-4603(99)00063-5

Standardized questionnaires were administered to 116 male and female undergraduates to examine how social deficits and alcohol expectancies relate to alcohol use. Participants were classified as either problem or nonproblem drinkers based on the Rutgers Collegiate Substance Abuse Screening Test. Problem drinkers reported experiencing social anxiety, shyness, and lower self-esteem to a greater extent than nonproblem drinkers. Problem drinkers also held more positive alcohol expectancies than nonproblem drinkers. Contrary to our hypotheses, however, particular types of alcohol expectancies did not interact with specific areas of social functioning to influence problem drinking. Overall, these findings suggest that problem drinkers have positive expectations about the immediate effects of alcohol consumption even though drinking is linked to long-term impairment in social functioning.