Abstract
Research suggests that high school students who participate in sports may be at elevated risk for alcohol use compared to
their non-athlete peers; however, reasons for this association are unclear. Alcohol expectancy theory posits that individuals
who expect favorable outcomes to occur because of alcohol use are more likely to drink than those who do not endorse such
beliefs. As such, the present study was designed to examine the associations of alcohol expectancy outcomes and valuations
(i.e., beliefs about whether an outcome is good or bad), as well as alcohol expectancies related to sports functioning (e.g.,
alcohol’s effects on one’s ability to learn new plays and recover physically from sporting activities), with risky drinking
among high school athletes. Participants were 219 in-season high school athletes (mean age = 15.6, range = 13–18) who completed
anonymous self-report surveys. A structural equation model indicated that endorsement of positive alcohol expectancy outcomes
and favorable evaluations of negative expectancy outcomes were associated with higher levels of risky drinking. Conversely,
greater endorsement of negative athletic-functioning drinking expectancies was associated with lower levels of risky drinking.
Future research considerations and implications for intervention efforts targeting high school athletes are discussed.
their non-athlete peers; however, reasons for this association are unclear. Alcohol expectancy theory posits that individuals
who expect favorable outcomes to occur because of alcohol use are more likely to drink than those who do not endorse such
beliefs. As such, the present study was designed to examine the associations of alcohol expectancy outcomes and valuations
(i.e., beliefs about whether an outcome is good or bad), as well as alcohol expectancies related to sports functioning (e.g.,
alcohol’s effects on one’s ability to learn new plays and recover physically from sporting activities), with risky drinking
among high school athletes. Participants were 219 in-season high school athletes (mean age = 15.6, range = 13–18) who completed
anonymous self-report surveys. A structural equation model indicated that endorsement of positive alcohol expectancy outcomes
and favorable evaluations of negative expectancy outcomes were associated with higher levels of risky drinking. Conversely,
greater endorsement of negative athletic-functioning drinking expectancies was associated with lower levels of risky drinking.
Future research considerations and implications for intervention efforts targeting high school athletes are discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s11121-011-0252-3
- Authors
- Byron L. Zamboanga, Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
- Lindsay S. Ham, Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
- Janine V. Olthuis, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Matthew P. Martens, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Joel R. Grossbard, Veterans Affairs, Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Kathryne Van Tyne, Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
- Journal Prevention Science
- Online ISSN 1573-6695
- Print ISSN 1389-4986