Alcohol Expectancies in Peruvian University Students
(2011) 16th Congress of the European Union for School and University Health and Medicine — Location: Moscou (9.June.2011)
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- Abstract
- Background. Studies among college students generally reveal a high level of alcohol consumption as well as a high level of problematic alcohol use, particularly binge drinking. To address this problem it is important to investigate the determinants of students’ alcohol use. Apart from social factors such as gender, SES, parental drinking and peer drinking, beliefs about the effects of alcohol have been found to play a major role in determining alcohol use. In this paper, we examine the alcohol expectancies of Peruvian students. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that alcohol expectancies contribute to the use and problematic use of alcohol in university students. Methods. A correlational study was performed involving 558 male and 523 female students enrolled at one public and two private universities in Lima, Peru. Alcohol consumption and problematic alcohol use were measured via an adaptation of Windle’s (1996) Alcohol Consumption Survey. Alcohol expectancies were measured using an adapted version of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ-A; Chau et al, 2006), distinguishing between positive and negative personal and social experiences, and expectancies of cognitive and motor capacities. Results. While students in the sample generally had positive expectancies in personal and social aspects of alcohol use, female students had more positive personal and social expectancies than male. Students from lower SES had the highest positive expectancies. Positive and negative personal and social expectancies were positively related to alcohol use, and positive expectancies to problematic drinking. Conclusions: Beliefs about the effects of alcohol are related to alcohol use by students, and positive expectancies about personal and social effects contribute to problematic drinking. These expectancies should be considered in the development of alcohol prevention programmes for students.
- Affiliations
Pontificia Universidad Catolica Del Peru, Lima, Peru Department of Psychology
Citations
chau, C., & Van den Broucke, S. (2011). Alcohol Expectancies in Peruvian University Students. 16th Congress of the European Union for School and University Health and Medicine, Moscou. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/222241