The relationship among self-efficacy expectancies, severity of alcohol abuse, and psychological benefits from drinking

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine the relationship among self-efficacy expectancies and two important clinical aspects of alcohol abuse, namely the severity of abuse and strength of the perceived psychological benefits from drinking. The self-efficacy expectancies were measured by the Situational Confidence Questionnaire (Annis, 1984) in a group of alcoholic men ( N = 203). A systematic and significant relationship was identified between the subjects’ confidence in coping with high-risk factors for heavy drinking and their severity of abuse. The subjects’ level of confidence decreased proportionally with an increase in their abuse. Furthermore, the subjects’ perceived psychological benefits from drinking covaried with their self-efficacy. A significant association was found between lower self-efficacy scores and experiencing great psychological benefits from drinking such as improved social skills, less depression and tension, and improved cognition. A combination of the two variables, severity of abuse and strength of perceived benefits, shows a systematic and differentiated picture among the subgroups. Clinical implications based on the results are presented.