Alcohol Norms and Expectations as Predictors of Alcohol Use and Problems in a College Student Sample

Abstract

Two-hundred thirty-one alcohol-using college students completed a questionnaire on their levels of alcohol use, moderate to severe problems with alcohol use, expectations of the effects of alcohol on their own and others' moods and behaviors, the desirability of these effects, norms of significant others for levels of alcohol use and the subject's desire to comply with these norms, reasons for drinking and not drinking alcohol, and a personality measure. Expectations of alcohol effects, norms of significant others, and reasons for drinking and not drinking alcohol were all significant independent predictors of alcohol use and problems with alcohol use. Expectation x desirability of effects formulations and norms x desire to comply with norms formulations did not improve the predictive power of the expectations and norms scales.