WITHDRAWN: A Cognitive and Motivational Model of Alcohol Consumption and Problematic Alcohol Outcomes

Background and Objectives

Social learning approaches to prevention and treatment of alcohol addiction requires an understanding of the cognitive and motivational factors that influence alcohol use and problematic alcohol behaviors. Using recursive path analysis we specified a serial mediation model using alcohol outcome expectancies and valuations as predictors of drinking motives leading to increased consumption and ultimately to problematic alcohol outcomes. To our knowledge our study is the first to look at the effects of specific (as opposed to general i.e., negative and positive outcome expectancies and valuations) on problematic alcohol outcomes mediated by drinking motives and typical alcohol consumption in a Filipino college sample.

Participants and Measures

We recruited 1,961 Filipino college students (Female = 54%; Ages 18-25, M = 19.06, SD = 1.64) who consumed alcohol in the last 30 days to answer a survey with the following measures: Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol (Fromme, Stroot, & Kaplan, 1993) measuring alcohol expectancies and valuations; Drinking Motives Questionnaire (Cooper, 1994) measuring alcohol motives and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Saunders, Aasland, Babor, De La Fuente, Juan, & Grant, 1993) measuring typical alcohol consumption and problematic alcohol outcomes.

Results

Results showed that the model we specified had adequate fit with χ² (32) = 550.24, p<.001, CFI = .91, RMSEA .08. Social expectancy and valuation, tension reduction expectancy and valuation, liquid courage expectancy, sexuality expectancy, risk and aggression expectancy, and self-perception expectancy predicted enhancement motive leading to increase in alcohol consumption which in turn leads to problematic alcohol outcomes. Tension reduction valuation, liquid courage expectancy, sexuality expectancy, cognitive behavioral impairment valuation, risk and aggression expectancy, and self-perception expectancy predicted coping motive leading to increase in alcohol consumption which in turn leads to problematic alcohol outcomes. The specific indirect effects from these paths were all significant using a 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval.

Conclusions

The study shows that cognitive and motivational factors influence increase in alcohol consumption leading to problematic alcohol outcomes. All the alcohol outcome expectancies and valuations contributed to predicting increase alcohol intake and consequently increase negative alcohol consequences. Moreover, the effects of these cognitive factors only passed through enhancement and coping motives and not social and conformity motives. Prevention and treatment programs should pay close attention to alcohol outcome expectancies and valuations among college drinkers because they serve as internal risk factors for alcohol use and abuse. Furthermore, students whose motives for drinking are enhancement and coping should be more closely monitored as they are more likely to consume more alcohol leading to increase in problematic alcohol outcomes.