An exploratory study of bar and nightclub expectancies.
OBJECTIVE
The authors identified the principal components of bar and nightclub expectancy in college students and the associations between these factors and the risk behavior of night-clubbing.


METHODS
A total of 4,384 undergraduates enrolled at a large, public university participated.


METHODS
In the first phase (July-September 2007), the authors collected preliminary data from a convenience sample. In the second phase (March 2008), the authors collected data from a separate probability sample.


RESULTS
A principal components analysis revealed 4 reliable and distinct expectancy factors. Regression analyses revealed that after adjusting for the effects of alcohol and demographic variables, expectancies explained a significant proportion of variance in bar/nightclub attendance. Different expectancy profiles distinguished high-frequency nightclubbers from the most common bar attendance practice and nonmonogamous nightclubbers from monogamous nightclubbers.


CONCLUSIONS
From a developmental perspective, nightclubbing appears to assist young adults with establishing and maintaining social networks, romantic and sexual relationships, and collegiate acculturation.
The Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. jreingle1@ufl.edu
Jennifer
J
Reingle
Dennis L
DL
Thombs
Robert M
RM
Weiler
Virginia J
VJ
Dodd
Ryan
R
O'Mara
Steven B
SB
Pokorny
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012951:Socialization; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult