ALCOHOL EXPECTANCIES - EFFECTS OF GENDER, AGE, AND FAMILY HISTORY OF ALCOHOLISM

To explore the effects of gender, age, and positive (FH+) and negative (FH-) family history of alcoholism on alcohol-related expectancies, t he Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ) was administered to 627 coll ege students (female n = 430). In an attempt to control for consumptio n effects, only individuals who described themselves as heavy drinkers were included in the study. A 2 (Family History) x 2 (Gender) x 2 (Ag e Range) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted on t he six scales of the AEQ. Results indicated that FH+ females under the age of 20 years reported stronger expectancies of social and physical pleasure than did FH- females. Results also suggested that females ov er the age of 20 reported significantly lower expectancies of global, positive effects compared to all other subjects, regardless of family history of alcoholism. Finally, both male and female subjects under th e age of 20 reported greater expectancies of global, positive effects, sexual enhancement, feelings of increased power and aggression, and s ocial assertion compared to individuals over the age of 20. These resu lts indicate that alcohol-related expectancies vary as a function of a ge, gender, and family history of alcoholism. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsev ier Science Ltd