Short-Term Changes in Plans to Drink and Importance of Positive and Negative Alcohol Consequences

• NCJ Number: 223227
• Journal: Journal of Adolescence Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 307-321
• Author(s): Megan E. Patrick; Jennifer L. Maggs
• Date Published: June 2008
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): AA 013763; DA 017629
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; National Institute on Drug Abuse; Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether anticipatory cognitions about alcohol evidenced short-term changes (i.e., across weeks) following the experience of positive and negative consequences of drinking using diary data from a sample of first-year university students.

Abstract

Experienced consequences predicted short-term changes in alcohol use plans and perceptions of the importance of alcohol-related consequences. This current analysis addresses several factors that may influence an individual’s anticipatory cognitions, which are operationalized as plans to drink and the subjective importance of avoiding negative drinking consequences and of attaining positive drinking consequences. The study investigated the association of three predictors with plans to drink and the subjective importance of potential positive and negative alcohol consequences over 10 weeks in one semester. Participants of the study were 176 traditionally aged first-year university students who completed a 10-week telephone diary study. Future investigations may more fully capture the effects of alcohol consequences by focusing on which specific positive and negative consequences are most important to adolescents, and how these associations change over time. Tables, references