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Because expectancies about the effects of alcohol change as drinking experience is accumulated, it is likely that the relationship of expectancy to drinking will differ with age. In this study, we examine the prediction of drinking behavior from positive and negative outcome expectancy at different ages. Data were collected as part of the National Alcohol Survey, using a multi-stage area probability sample of the household population of the 48 contiguous United States. US residents aged 12 and older ( n = 2875). Survey questions included drinking habits (frequency, quantity, frequency of drunkenness, maximum quantity) and beliefs about the effects of alcohol (alcohol expectancies). Structural equation models tested the relationship of positive and negative expectancy to drinking behavior in six age groups. Outcome expectancy accounted for a larger portion of the variance in drinking among younger respondents than among older respondents. However, suppression effects were common. When suppression effects were considered, positive expectancy predicted drinking better than negative expectancy only among respondents under 35, while negative expectancy was a better predictor of drinking status in most respondents over 35 years. Among drinkers, positive expectancy predominated over negative expectancy when suppression effects were considered. These results suggest that negative expectancy predicts abstention, while positive expectancy predicts level of drinking among drinkers. In expectancy research, differences between drinkers and abstainers, age of participants and the presence of suppression effects should be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. One consequence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has been to highlight the need for population-based estimates of the numbers of individuals engaging in sexual behaviors that place them at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This paper describes the prevalence of various sexual behaviors in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. Methods. Data were collected as part of a household probability survey of adults (n = 2058) in the United States. Data collected on sexual behavior included sexual orientation. frequency of intercourse, condom use, and number of sexual partners. Results. Nearly all respondents were sexually experienced. Of those who were currently sexually active, 13% (1% of married respondents) had had sex with more than one partner in the previous year. Of those reporting having intercourse with more than one partner in the previous year, 7% used condoms consistently and 23% used condoms consistently with their casual partners. Conclusions. A significant proportion of individuals were found to have intercourse with multiple partners without using condoms. A minority of these respondents acknowledged that their behavior may place them at risk for HIV transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on substance use and sexual activity from a nationally representative, probability-based sample of young adults aged 18-30 in 1990 indicate that 86% of respondents had had sex in the previous 12 months, with three-fourths reporting no more than one sexual partner, Seventy-five percent of respondents had consumed alcohol in the past 12 months, 40% had smoked cigarettes and 20% had used marijuana. After adjustment for demographic factors, both sexual activity and a history of multiple partners were positively associated with some measures of substance use. Respondents who drank more frequently, those who were heavy drinkers, those who smoked cigarettes and those who used marijuana in the past year were more likely than others to be sexually active. Those who consumed five or more drinks at a sitting and those who used marijuana were more likely than others to have had more than one sexual partner. Heavy drinkers were also less likely to use condoms; however, the results showed no association between having sex under the influence of alcohol and engaging in unsafe sexual practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students experience a variety of effects resulting from alcohol use and evaluate their experiences on a continuum from negative to positive. Using daily reports collected via cell phone, we examined the psychometric properties of alcohol use consequences and evaluations of those consequences. Participants were 349 undergraduate students (mean age 19.7 [SD = 1.26], 53.4% female). Data were analyzed using a multilevel factor analysis framework, incorporating binary items (consequences) and normally distributed items (evaluations). Our model converged on 2 factors-positive and negative-with similar loadings between- and within-persons. Intraclass correlation coefficients for positive consequences and their evaluations ranged from .30 to .40, whereas values for negative consequences were more variable. Intraclass correlation coefficients for negative evaluations were higher, suggesting evaluations were more trait-like compared to experience of consequences which may be context dependent. Generalizability coefficients on the whole were good to excellent, suggesting highly reliable scales at both person-mean and daily-mean levels. However, likely due to binary scale and infrequency, the generalizability coefficients for negative consequences at the daily level was somewhat low. Convergent validity was demonstrated by (a) positive associations between baseline Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores with latent factors for daily positive and negative consequences, and (b) positive associations between daily drinking and daily consequences and evaluations of consequences. Overall, this measure demonstrated good psychometric properties for use in studies examining daily and lagged relationships between alcohol use and related consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Despite the documented importance of alcohol outcome expectancies in predicting alcohol use and related consequences, little research has explored within-person variability in expectancies. This article details the construction and psychometric analysis of a measure of alcohol expectancies specifically designed for daily assessment. Method: We developed a 15-item instrument to measure the likelihood of experiencing various outcomes from drinking, as well as the subjective evaluation of these outcomes. College students (N= 352; mean age = 19.7 years, SD = 1.26; 53.4% female) participated in a yearlong study wherein they completed three computerized interviews daily via mobile phones for 2 weeks in each academic quarter. Multilevel exploratory factor analysis was used to examine dimensionality at between-person and within-person levels, and generalizability coefficients were calculated to establish reliability. Results: Intraclass correlation coefficients were generally between .30 and .40, demonstrating both between-person and within- person variability. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a two-factor solution of positive and negative effects of alcohol, and two items with equivocal loadings were dropped from the final scale. The two subscales showed excellent reliabilities at within- and between- person levels, and the measure demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity with a commonly used expectancy measure. Conclusions: Drinkers hold many expectations about the effects of alcohol, and measures are needed that are designed to capture both stable and context-dependent aspects of these beliefs. Results demonstrated significant day-to-day variation in the strength and valuation of alcohol expectancies, and the scale demonstrated good psychometric properties that establish its appropriateness for use in daily process studies of alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]