SEX-RELATED ALCOHOL EXPECTANCIES AMONG ADOLESCENTS .1. SCALE DEVELOPMENT

A measure of sex-related alcohol expectancies was developed with a rep resentative sample of 916 sexually experienced adolescents (13 to 19 y ears) who had ever consumed alcohol. Expectancy items represented 3 do mains: enhancement of sexual experience, increased sexual risk taking, and disinhibition of sexual behavior. Confirmatory analyses showed th at a 3-factor model provided a good fit to the data. Adequate reliabil ity and low-to-moderate correlation among the expectancy measures were also demonstrated. Expectancies for sexual risk taking and disinhibit ion were found to be more strongly endorsed by male than by female res pondents, although these differences were stronger among Black than am ong White adolescents and increased with age. Overall, results suggest that these scales may have substantial utility for future research.