Despite extensive efforts, adolescent alcohol abuse remains a major problem. The teenage years are seen as a "window of vulnerability" during which alcohol is first used and the ground work for later abuse is laid. Since we have not been notably successful in reducing adolescent drinking and decreasing risk for adult alcoholism, novel perspectives for the collection of data and the development of new prevention and treatment efforts are warranted. The intent of the present proposal is to provide this novel perspective. The proposed study is based on recent findings which have shown that cognitive expectancies determine drinking consequences. Such alcohol expectancies have been shown to be related to adolescent drinking behavior. Specifically, the proposed studies will: 1. Collect longitudinal data regarding adolescent drinking expectancies and actual alcohol consumption and related behaviors in order to identify the covariance of these variables through time. This data will isolate the particular alcohol expectancies in young adolescents as well as other background/demographic variables that predict problematic drinking in later adolescence. Thus, it will help identify children at risk for alcohol abuse even before substantial drinking experience has been obtained. 2. Demonstrate that an intervention strategy based on recent research concerning the domain of adolescents' alcohol expectancies will a) increase adolescents' fund of knowledge concerning alcohol, b) modify adolescents' attitudes toward alcohol, c) alter adolescent expectations concerning the consequences of drinking, and d) affect adolescent drinking behavior and styles throughout a reasonable follow-up period. The effects of this new intervention will be compared to those produced by a standard alcohol education program and a baseline established by a no-treatment control group. 3. Establish the parameters of effectiveness of this expectancy-based intervention. Specifically, the present study will investigate whether adolescents with prior drinking experience, or those who have been alcohol-free, receive greater benefits from the program.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter