Document Type
Article
Department
Community and Global Health (CGU)
Publication Date
1993
Disciplines
Health Psychology | Substance Abuse and Addiction
Abstract
The development of comprehensive theories regarding the determinants of
vulnerability toward drinking problems depends in part on longitudinal evidence
linking psychosocial precursors to clinically-relevant problem consequences. In
an investigation of some of the more promising psychosocial precursors of
problem vulnerability, we evaluated the long-term predictive effects of adolescent
cognitive motivations for alcohol use and sensation seeking on a wide variety of
adult drinking-problem consequences including driving while intoxicated (DWI).
Results indicated that the Cognitive Motivation factor was a significant, independent, nine-year predictor of a factor of Drinking-Problem Consequences. Over this same period, certain cognitive motivation and sensation seeking indicators independently predicted DWI, and the Sensation Seeking factor independently predicted Cognitive Motivation and Alcohol Use factors. The significant, independent effects on problem-drinking variables demonstrated that psychosocial vulnerability appeared across a range of consumption levels. These findings have important implications for counseling practices and the identification of teenagers of high-risk for drinking problems and DWI in later adulthood.
Rights Information
© 1993 Guilford Press. Reprinted with permission of The Guilford Press
Recommended Citation
Stacy, A.W., Newcomb, M.D., & Bentler, P.M. Cognitive motivations and sensation seeking as long-term predictors of drinking problems. J Soc Clin Psychol 12(1): 1-24, 1993.
