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Article
When the Party for Some Becomes a Problem for Others: The Effect of Perceived Secondhand Consequences of Drinking Behavior on Drinking Norms
The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied (2008)
  • Mickey Trockel
  • Andrew Wall, University of Rochester
  • Sunyna S. Williams
  • Janet Reis
Abstract

The authors examined the influence of fraternity men's expectancies regarding secondhand consequences of excessive drinking behavior on normative standards regarding alcohol use and consumption levels. Participants were 381 men from 26 chapters of 2 national fraternities. One organization participated in a brief intervention involving discussion of secondhand consequences of excessive drinking. Immediate influence of the intervention on perceived secondhand consequences of alcohol use was assessed using a posttest-only, randomized groups design. Results supported a hypothesized measurement model with 1 overall secondhand consequence expectancy construct and 4 subfactors: (a) Noise Disruptive of Sleep and Study, (b) Violence, (c) Sexual Assault, and (d) Property Damage. Cross-sectional analysis at the chapter and individual levels demonstrated that secondhand expectancies had an indirect effect on alcohol consumption, mediated by personal consumption standards for limiting alcohol consumption. The intervention had an effect on secondhand expectancies. Findings suggest that interventions with intact groups can increase secondhand expectancies regarding excessive drinking and may lead to a reduction in excessive alcohol consumption.

Keywords
  • alcohol consumption,
  • expectancies,
  • fraternity men,
  • secondhand consequences
Publication Date
2008
Citation Information
Mickey Trockel, Andrew Wall, Sunyna S. Williams and Janet Reis. "When the Party for Some Becomes a Problem for Others: The Effect of Perceived Secondhand Consequences of Drinking Behavior on Drinking Norms" The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied Vol. 142 Iss. 1 (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/janet_reis/8/