title: Risky cognitions associated with adolescent alcohol misuse: moral disengagement, alcohol expectancies and perceived self-regulatory efficacy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the longitudinal associations between moral disengagement, alcohol related expectancies, perceived self-regulatory efficacy and alcohol use amongst adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 367 students (mean age=13.1, SD=0.51; 65% male) from five schools across Sydney, Australia took part in this longitudinal study. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire at four time points across an 18 month period which assessed their alcohol use, levels of moral disengagement, alcohol related expectancies and perceived self-regulatory efficacy to resist peer pressure to engage in transgressive behaviours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over time, rates of binge drinking in the past three months significantly increased, but rates of drinking any alcohol in the past three months remained stable. As hypothesised, all three cognitions were independently and consistently associated with adolescent alcohol use and binge drinking over time, with the exception of perceived self-regulatory efficacy which was not associated with an increased risk of drinking any alcohol in the past three months when controlling for moral disengagement, alcohol expectancies, gender and age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study is the first study to longitudinally map three distinct cognitive factors associated with adolescent alcohol use. Considering the alarming number of adolescents drinking at levels that place them at risk of significant harm, this study has provided important implications about cognitive factors that can be targeted to increase the accuracy of assessment and efficacy of prevention for alcohol misuse amongst adolescents.
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia. Electronic address: n.newton@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Nicola C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Emma L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Swaffield
authors.forename: Maree
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teesson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D012309:Risk-Taking; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescents; Alcohol; Alcohol expectancies; Moral disengagement; Self-efficacy