Sarah L Pedersen | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Development of a measure of drinking and driving expectancies for youth.

The present study constructs and provides initial validation for a measure of positive expectancies for drinking and driving for use with adolescents and young adults (PEDD-Y). In Study 1, items were generated through open-ended responses from high school- and college-age youth. Data collected from a 2nd sample of college students (n = 404) identified a 29 item, 4 factor questionnaire. Two of the PEDD-Y factors (Convenience, Avoiding Consequences) explained additional variance in drinking and driving behavior above and beyond other cognitions about drinking and driving. Study 2 extended these results to a high school sample (n = 185). Study 3 demonstrated test-retest reliability of the PEDD-Y in college-age youth (n = 165). These results provide initial evidence for the utility of the PEDD-Y in assessing drinking and driving risk in adolescents and college students.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Negative consequences and cognitions about drinking and driving.

OBJECTIVE: Drinking and driving has been found to be a highly persistent behavior, even after experiencing negative consequences, such as arrest. This study tested the association between consequences of drinking and driving and cognitions related to drinking and driving (e.g., attitudes, normative beliefs). We tested whether exposure to negative consequences was associated with perceptions of risk associated with drinking and driving. METHOD: Participants were 938 college students. The sample was 57% female and primarily white (86%). Questionnaire measures were used to assess alcohol use, drinking and driving behaviors, drinking and driving cognitions, and lifetime drinking and driving consequences. RESULTS: Results indicated that participants who had experienced consequences of drinking and driving (either as a driver or rider) reported more current drinking and driving and greater alcohol consumption. Analyses indicated that most cognition measures differentiated those reporting lifetime consequences from the rest of the sample, with the consequence groups reporting more risky cognitions. However, experiencing a personal consequence of drinking and driving was associated with perceiving negative consequences of drinking and driving to be more likely. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that most cognitive risk factors for drinking and driving remain high even after experiencing a negative consequence. This may contribute to the persistence of drinking and driving in prior offenders. The finding that the perception of negative consequences may be influenced by experiencing consequences may have implications for intervention and treatment efforts.

Adult↗