Externalizing Problem Behaviors, Alcohol Expectancies, Familial Alcohol Problems, and their Relations with Adolescents' Alcohol Use Outcomes

<p>Several risk factors are associated with underage alcohol use, but much is unknown about how risk factors contribute towards specific alcohol use behaviors. This study examined relations and interrelations between several risk factors and their impact on adolescents’ specific alcohol use outcomes. Participants (N = 762) were a sample of adolescents recruited from public middle schools and high schools. Students completed computerized assessments during school hours. Results from statistical analyses indicated that positive expectancies were most consistently associated with adolescents’ less severe (e.g., lifetime drinking days, lifetime days drunk) alcohol use outcomes. Externalizing problem behaviors were significantly associated with adolescents’ earlier age of alcohol use initiation. Positive expectancies and valuations moderated externalizing problem behaviors to predict adolescents’ more-severe (e.g., binge drinking days, alcohol-related problems) outcomes. Results highlight the importance of screening and early intervention strategies designed to direct at-risk adolescents towards less maladaptive alcohol use trajectories.</p>