Personality and alcohol expectancies discriminate alcohol consumption patterns in female college students

PILATTI A; CUPANI M; PAUTASSI RM

ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM

OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2015 vol. 50 p. 385 - 392

0735-0414

The present study used an empirically based method to characterize patterns of alcohol use in a sample of Argentinean female college students, and analyzed personality and cognitive correlates of greater alcohol use. Data were obtained from 298 female college students aged 17-25 years (M = 18.27 years; SD = 1.37 years) from the city of Cordoba, Argentina. Personality traits (extroversion, conscientiousness, impulsivity, aggression, and sensation seeking), and cognitive factors (positive and negative alcohol expectancies) were assessed. Multiple discrimination analysis determined which personality and alcohol expectancies features characterized groups of women with different drinking patterns. Results: three different drinking patterns were found: abstainers, moderate drinkers and high alcohol users. The best features to differentiate among these three drinking classes were three personality traits and two alcohol expectancies dimensions. Women in the high alcohol use class exhibited greater scores in disinhibition, experience seeking, extraversion and positive alcohol expectancies alongside with lower scores in negative alcohol expectancies. Abstainer women were characterized by lower scores in disinhibition, experience seeking, extraversion and positive alcohol expectancies and higher scores in negative alcohol expectancies. Similar to abstainers, women with moderate drinking patterns had lower scores in disinhibition, experience seeking, and extraversion. Moderate drinkers, however, scored lower scores in negative alcohol expectancies. Discussion: The present study provides data that help differentiate between college women with problematic alcohol drinking from those that exhibit social alcohol intake.