Alcohol expectancies and drinking behaviors in Mexican American college students

Abstract

Research with non-Latinos has shown that alcohol expectancies (“the anticipated effects of alcohol use”) are associated with drinking behaviors; however, prior studies have not fully examined such relations in Latino college students. This investigation examines positive alcohol expectancies and their association with contextual drinking and alcohol-related problem behaviors in a sample of 107 Mexican American college students (mean age=25; 54% female) who completed self-report surveys. Results showed that students who endorsed expectancies of physical and social pleasure and increased social assertiveness were likely to engage in frequent heavy drinking and imbibe in less personal settings. Furthermore, gender (being male) and the expectancy of enhanced sexual performance and experience were associated with involvement in risk behaviors due to drinking. This study highlights the link between specific alcohol expectancies and alcohol-related problem behaviors in Mexican American college students. Intervention approaches aimed at modifying drinking expectancies in physical, social, and sexual domains could prove useful in this population.