Growth trajectories of alcohol information processing and associations with escalation of drinking in early adolescence.
This longitudinal study provided a comprehensive examination of age-related changes in alcohol outcome expectancies, subjective evaluation of alcohol outcomes, and automatic alcohol associations in early adolescence. A community sample (52% female, 75% White/non-Hispanic) was assessed annually for 3 years (mean age at the first assessment = 11.6 years). Results from growth modeling suggested that perceived likelihood of positive outcomes increased and that subjective evaluations of these outcomes were more positive with age. Perceived likelihood of negative outcomes declined with age. Automatic alcohol associations were assessed with an Implicit Association Task (IAT), and were predominantly negative, but these negative associations weakened with age. High initial levels of perceived likelihood of positive outcomes at age 11 were associated with escalation of drinking. Perceived likelihood of negative outcomes was associated with low risk for drinking at age 11, but not with changes in drinking. Increases in positive evaluations of positive outcomes were associated with increases in alcohol use. Overall, findings suggest that at age 11, youth maintain largely negative attitudes and perceptions about alcohol, but with the transition into adolescence, there is a shift toward a more neutral or ambivalent view of alcohol. Some features of this shift are associated with escalation of drinking. Our findings point to the importance of delineating multiple aspects of alcohol information processing for extending cognitive models of alcohol use to the early stages of drinking.
Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.
Craig R
CR
Colder
Department of Psychology, Concordia University.
Roisin M
RM
O'Connor
Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.
Jennifer P
JP
Read
Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.
Rina D
RD
Eiden
Department of Psychology, University of Washington.
Liliana J
LJ
Lengua
Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.
Larry W
LW
Hawk
Center for Health and Social Research, Buffalo State University.
William F
WF
Wieczorek
D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000339:Affect; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D003210:Concept Formation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D000066608:Underage Drinking / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data