The relationship between alcohol expectancy and alcohol-related problems among public university students

Abstract

© 2018, Medical Association of Thailand. All rights reserved. Objective: To examine the relationship between alcohol expectancy and the alcohol-related problem in university students. Materials and Methods: The total of 410 undergraduate students within 3 programs were sampled from a public university by purposive random sampling. A Thai Adolescent Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire [TA-AEQ] and Drinking Problem Scale for College Students [DPS-C] were used for the data collection process. Results: The expectancy regarding the positive effect of alcohol was at moderate level and the alcohol-related problems among university students were mild. In contrary, the health problem was at high risk. The relationship between the alcohol expectancy and alcohol-related problems found to be significant at 0.01 (r = 0.30) Which means that, when students have high expectations forthe results of drinking alcohol they were likely to drink more and it will lead to a higher risk of problems from drinking alcohol. Conclusion: According to cognitive social theory, the present study confirmed that alcohol expectancy, especially in expectancy for positive effect related to alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among university students. For the public health policy makers and workers, expectancy about positive effects of drinking alcohol should be one of the major concerns in health promotion and risks prevention.