The utility of the prototype/willingness model in predicting alcohol use among North American Indigenous adolescents.

Abstract

In the present study, we considered the utility of the prototype/willingness model in predicting alcohol use among North-American Indigenous adolescents. Specifically, using longitudinal data, we examined the associations among subjective drinking norms, positive drinker prototypes, drinking expectations (as a proxy of drinking willingness), and drinking behavior among a sample of Indigenous adolescents from ages 12 to 14 years. Using an autoregressive cross-lagged analysis, our results showed that subjective drinking norms and positive drinker prototypes at 12 years of age were associated with increased drinking expectations at 13 years of age, and that greater drinking expectations at 13 years of age were associated with increased drinking behavior at 14 years of age. Our results provide initial evidence that the prototype/willingness model may generalize to Indigenous adolescents, a population that has received little attention within the psychological sciences. Our results also highlight some potential ways in which existing prevention efforts aimed at reducing substance use among Indigenous adolescents may be enhanced.