ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between alcohol use expectancies, drinking patterns, and alcohol-related problems, among college students in Mexico City. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in October 1998. Study subjects were 678 male and female college students aged between 17 and 25 years, from private and public schools. Alcohol expectancies were measured through the self-reported "Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire" (AEQ), adapted for this population, with a high overall internal reliability coefficient (alpha = 0.93). RESULTS: Thirty-one per cent of study subjects, mainly males, reported heavy drinking (5 drinks or more per drinking occasion in the previous year), while 17% were non-consumers. Relationships for each of the AEQ scales, drinking patterns, and alcohol-related problems, were analyzed through a structural equations model. Analysis of variance showed a statistically significantly association between six AEQ subscales--alcohol as a facilitator of a group interaction, verbal expression, disinhibition, sexual enhancement, reduction of psychological tension and arousal aggression-(F = 5.23, df = 1, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Study findings from other countries show that effects attributed to alcohol, in anticipation of the drinking episode (expectancies), are closely related to alcohol intake. Our results showed that heavy drinkers had higher scores in six AEQ subscales, particularly those who reported having alcohol-related problems in the previous year. Alcohol expectancies related to higher alcohol intake were: facilitation of social interaction, decreasing psychological tension, and increasing arousal/aggression. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking , Students , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology , Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Mexico , Sex Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Objetivo. Establecer la relación entre las expectativas hacia el consumo de alcohol, los patrones de su uso y los problemas asociados a su consumo en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de la ciudad de México. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal realizado en octubre de 1998, en el que participaron 678 estudiantes, hombres y mujeres entre los 17 y 25 años de edad, provenientes de universidades públicas y privadas. En él se midieron las expectativas a partir de un cuestionario de autorreporte, el Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ), que fue adaptado a esta po-blación obteniendo una consistencia interna global elevada (alpha=0.93). Resultados. Del total de los estudiantes, 31por ciento presentó un consumo alto (mayor a cinco copas por ocasión de consumo en el último año), principalmente en los varo-nes, mientras que 17por ciento fueron no consumidores. Mediante un modelo estructural de ecuaciones se estudió la relación entre las subescalas de expectativas, el patrón de consumo y problemas asociados. El análisis de varianza mostró una relación estadísticamente significativa entre seis subescalas de expectativas (el alcohol como facilitador de la interacción grupal, expresividad verbal, desinhibición, incremento de la sexualidad, reducción de la tensión psicológica e incremento de la agresividad) y las variables sexo, consumo de alcohol y pro-blemas asociados (F=5.23, gl=1, p< 0.05). Conclusiones. De manera consistente con lo informado en otros países, se encontró que los efectos que las personas atribuyen al consumo de alcohol, anticipándose a la experiencia de estar bebiendo (expectativas), están estrechamente relaciona-das con su consumo. Los resultados de este estudio indican que los estudiantes con un consumo alto de alcohol tuvie-ron mayores puntuaciones en seis de las subescalas de expectativas, además de que éstas fueron más elevadas entre quienes informaron que tuvieron pro-blemas relacionados con el consumo en el último año. Las expectativas del alcohol como facilitador de la interacción grupal, como reductor de la tensión psicológica y como agente que incrementa la conducta agresiva se relaciona-ron con un consumo de alcohol más alto. El texto comple-to en inglés de este artícu-lo está disponible en: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Adult , Students , Universities , Age Factors , Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Mexico , Sex Distribution , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
This study constitutes a continuation of a series of approximation to the knowledge of an adolescent stage. The purpose of this paper is to explore the way in that the females and males adolescents conceptualize a "female friend". With this in mind, we analyzed the information with the semantic network technique in 160 adolescents: 80 females and 80 males divided in two groups of analysis: 8th and 12th school years in private schools from Mexico City. The results permit to observe some differences in their conceptualizations by gender and educative level; but also we observed similarities in the way of to conceptualize a "female friend". Perhaps these findings derived from a cultural tradition that influence the social interactions and by an evolutive stage: the adolescence, when the establishment of the psychosocial identity is an important need and demand.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Interpersonal Relations , Psychology, Adolescent , Sex , Adolescent , Culture , Female , Humans , Male , Mexico , Sex Factors , Social SupportABSTRACT
This study constitutes a continuation of a series of approximation to the knowledge of an adolescent stage. The purpose of this paper is to explore the way in that the females and males adolescents conceptualize a [quot ]female friend[quot ]. With this in mind, we analyzed the information with the semantic network technique in 160 adolescents: 80 females and 80 males divided in two groups of analysis: 8th and 12th school years in private schools from Mexico City. The results permit to observe some differences in their conceptualizations by gender and educative level; but also we observed similarities in the way of to conceptualize a [quot ]female friend[quot ]. Perhaps these findings derived from a cultural tradition that influence the social interactions and by an evolutive stage: the adolescence, when the establishment of the psychosocial identity is an important need and demand.
ABSTRACT
This study constitutes a continuation of a series of approximation to the knowledge of an adolescent stage. The purpose of this paper is to explore the way in that the females and males adolescents conceptualize a [quot ]female friend[quot ]. With this in mind, we analyzed the information with the semantic network technique in 160 adolescents: 80 females and 80 males divided in two groups of analysis: 8th and 12th school years in private schools from Mexico City. The results permit to observe some differences in their conceptualizations by gender and educative level; but also we observed similarities in the way of to conceptualize a [quot ]female friend[quot ]. Perhaps these findings derived from a cultural tradition that influence the social interactions and by an evolutive stage: the adolescence, when the establishment of the psychosocial identity is an important need and demand.
