Differential associations between alcohol expectancies and adolescent alcohol use as a function of childhood ADHD

J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2014 Jan;75(1):145-52. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2014.75.145.

Abstract

Objective: Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for experiencing alcohol-related problems. However, previous research has not examined alcohol expectancies, a widely studied risk factor for alcohol use, in this population. The current study examined mean differences in alcohol expectancies for adolescents with and without a history of childhood ADHD. The differential association between alcohol expectancies and alcohol use 1 year later as a function of ADHD status was also examined.

Method: Two hundred and eighty-six adolescents ages 11-17 (ADHD: n = 165; non-ADHD: n = 121) reported their alcohol expectancies and alcohol use over a 1-year period as part of the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study.

Results: Individuals with a history of ADHD had lower mean levels of alcohol expectancies compared with individuals without ADHD. Specifically, at Time 1, individuals with ADHD reported lower levels of sociability, cognitive and behavioral impairment, and liquid courage expectancies than individuals without ADHD. Further, the association between negative alcohol expectancies at Time 1 and alcohol use at Time 2 differed for individuals with and without a history of ADHD.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the possibility that individuals with a history of ADHD may rely less on explicit cognitions, such as alcohol expectancies, when making decisions to drink alcohol. This is consistent with the dual process model of alcohol cognitions that has posited that individuals with decreased executive control may rely more on implicit cognitions about alcohol.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology*
  • Alcohol Drinking / psychology*
  • Anticipation, Psychological* / physiology
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / epidemiology*
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology*
  • Child
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Self Report