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. 2011 Dec;19(6):420-32.
doi: 10.1037/a0025373. Epub 2011 Sep 26.

Pre-adolescent alcohol expectancies: critical shifts and associated maturational processes

Nicole M Bekman  1 , Mark S Goldman, Matthew J Worley, Kristen G Anderson
Affiliations

Pre-adolescent alcohol expectancies: critical shifts and associated maturational processes

Nicole M Bekman et al. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Children's alcohol expectancies shift in late childhood/early adolescence in ways thought to lead to increased risk for adolescent alcohol use. The precise nature of this shift and the maturational processes that may influence it remain to be clarified. To these ends, we compared expectancy endorsement by grade across four expectancy domains: positive, negative, arousal, and sedation, in a cross-sectional sample of 3rd-6th grade children attending afterschool programs (n = 299). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was then used to describe the relationships between expectancies and differences in (a) cognitive ability and concept formation, (b) risk-taking personality traits, and (c) social exposure or values regarding alcohol-related information. Results showed those children in higher grades endorsed significantly more positive, negative, and sedating expectancies for alcohol than their younger peers. Concept formation partially and fully mediated the relationships between grade and both positive and sedating expectancies, respectively, but not the relationship between grade and negative expectancies. Sensation seeking did not increase across grades in this sample, and the relationship between sensation seeking and positive expectancies was fully mediated by reported alcohol exposure and values. This study provides a basis for future exploration of developmental influences on alcohol expectancies, an understanding of which may be helpful in the design of prevention efforts targeting high-risk youth before adolescence.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesized model of relationships among variables associated with developmental changes in alcohol expectancies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences in alcohol expectancy z-scores between 3rd-5th grade students (n = 284) Notes: Z-scores were calculated using the full sample of participants (n = 299); error bars represent the standard error. Sixth graders were excluded from this graph due to the small sample size (n = 16). * Significant post-hoc comparisons (p < .05)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Measurement model of the relationships between observed variables and the latent variables they were hypothesized to represent (n = 299).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Structural Equation Model of demographic, cognitive, social and personality variables associated with differences in alcohol expectancies (n = 299).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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