Among a sample of 180 male and 226 female undergraduates, 84.2% reported a heavy drinking episode (5+ drinks for men, 4+ for women) within the previous 90 days. Principal-components analysis revealed 3 alcohol-related problem factors among the heavy drinkers (Careless Behavior, Risky/Reckless Behavior, and Authority Problems). Nearly all heavy drinkers experienced a careless behavior that was due to drinking (92.7%), and many reported a risky/reckless behavior (60.2%), yet only one third (33.9%) experienced an authority problem. Guttman scaling procedures revealed a progression from Careless Behavior to Reckless/Risky Behavior to an Authority Problem. Heavy drinkers with an authority problem drank more frequently, consumed more when drinking, endorsed more alcohol expectancies, and reported earlier ages of initial and regular drinking than other groups.

Alcohol effect expectancies and situational self-efficacy are important factors in addiction relapse. The extent to which these cognitive factors change during alcohol treatment and the relations between change in these two domains may facilitate our understanding of the transition out of addictive lifestyles. To evaluate such change, 101 male and female participants in an abstinence focused inpatient alcohol and drug treatment program completed measures of alcohol effect expectancies (AEQ) and self-efficacy (SCQ) during the first and fourth (final) week of inpatient treatment. Analyses confirmed our predictions that alcohol effect expectancies and self-efficacy were inversely correlated at the beginning of treatment, and that both alcohol expectancies and self-efficacy changed significantly during the four-week treatment program. Larger decreases in alcohol effect expectancies were evident for individuals who entered treatment with less confidence in their ability to resist drinking compared to those with more confidence in potential drinking situations. Results suggest that both expectancies and self-efficacy are useful factors to target in alcohol treatment.

This study proposed and tested a theoretical factor structure for the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ; S. A. Brown, M. S. Goldman, A. Inn, & L. R. Anderson, 1980). Factors were hypothesized to (a) reflect either positive or negative reinforcement, and (b) target either personal feelings or social contexts, resulting in 4 hypothesized factors (Social Enhancement, Social Coping, Personal Enhancement, Personal Coping). Participants were 180 male and 226 female undergraduates who completed the AEQ and additional self-report measures. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the hypothesized model fit the data. Post hoc adjustments further improved the model. Finally, a higher order factor model fit the data best. Factors correlated in hypothesized ways with other measures: (a) Only Personal Coping expectancies correlated with negative affect; (b) self-efficacy to resist drinking for emotional relief correlated highest with Personal Coping; and (c) self-efficacy to resist social pressure to drink correlated highest with Social Enhancement. Correlations with B. C. Leigh and A. W. Stacy's (1993) Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire indicated congruent and divergent validity.

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