HIGH-DOSE AND LOW-DOSE ALCOHOL-RELATED EXPECTANCIES AND THE DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATIONS WITH DRINKING IN MALE AND FEMALE ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG-ADULTS

A Dutch questionnaire was developed consisting of positive and negativ e expectancies relating to low and high doses of alcohol. The associat ions of these four types of expectancies with current alcohol consumpt ion were investigated in three samples: secondary school pupils of 11- 15 years old, secondary school pupils of 16 and older, and university undergraduate students (total n = 554). Using restrictive factor analy ses, a common factor-model of the expectancies teas shown to fit adequ ately across subgroups. Which expectancies were associated with curren t alcohol consumption varied substantially across the subgroups. As ex pected from previous research, inclusion of high dose expectancies did not substantially improve the prediction of drinking in university st udents. However, positive and negative high-dose expectancies were fou nd to be powerful predictors of current alcohol consumption in seconda ry school boys of 16 and older, the subgroup with the highest average alcohol consumption on each occasion. Possible implications are discus sed for future research and interventions.