Expectations of alcohol-induced positive affect: a cross-cultural comparison.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to investigate the extent to which positive affect is a cross-culturally expected result of drinking alcohol. This first required development of a quantitative estimate of positive affect on a common scale, an essential step neglected in previous comparative research on alcohol expectancies.


METHODS
Approximately equal numbers of male and female respondents (N = 1,008; 521 women) from eight countries were asked to complete a survey inquiring about emotional and behavioral responses they expect people to experience after consuming alcoholic drinks, and about limited aspects of their own drinking habits. Multisample latent covariance structure analysis with means was applied to the data and a cross-culturally invariant model of positive affect was extracted.


RESULTS
The latent construct for positive affect that emerged was defined by manifest "interpersonal warmth or closeness," "pleasure of social interactions" and "optimism." There were significant national differences in means for this factor, and self-reported drinking frequency was also marginally related to expected positive affect.


CONCLUSIONS
Multisample latent covariance structure analysis with means proved a useful tool capable of addressing critical problems in comparative cross-cultural research. In addition, there were indications that the expectation of increased positive affect associated with drinking may be influenced by contextual factors and cultural traditions, making positive affect less easily attributable to the direct pharmacological action of alcohol consumption than has previously been believed.
Lindman
R E
RE
Department of Psychology, Abo Akademi University, Finland.
Sjöholm
B A
BA
Lang
A R
AR
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D000431:Ethanol