title: Differential associations between alcohol expectancies and adolescent alcohol use as a function of childhood ADHD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for experiencing alcohol-related problems. However, previous research has not examined alcohol expectancies, a widely studied risk factor for alcohol use, in this population. The current study examined mean differences in alcohol expectancies for adolescents with and without a history of childhood ADHD. The differential association between alcohol expectancies and alcohol use 1 year later as a function of ADHD status was also examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and eighty-six adolescents ages 11-17 (ADHD: n = 165; non-ADHD: n = 121) reported their alcohol expectancies and alcohol use over a 1-year period as part of the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals with a history of ADHD had lower mean levels of alcohol expectancies compared with individuals without ADHD. Specifically, at Time 1, individuals with ADHD reported lower levels of sociability, cognitive and behavioral impairment, and liquid courage expectancies than individuals without ADHD. Further, the association between negative alcohol expectancies at Time 1 and alcohol use at Time 2 differed for individuals with and without a history of ADHD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings highlight the possibility that individuals with a history of ADHD may rely less on explicit cognitions, such as alcohol expectancies, when making decisions to drink alcohol. This is consistent with the dual process model of alcohol cognitions that has posited that individuals with decreased executive control may rely more on implicit cognitions about alcohol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Seth C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Harty
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Pelham
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gnagy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Brooke S G
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Molina
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D059031:Anticipation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D057566:Self Report