Beyond Invulnerability: The Importance of Benefits in Adolescents' Decision to Drink Alcohol

Some investigators propose that adolescents engage in risky behaviors mainly because they perceive themselves to be invulnerable to risk. However, studies have typically not included perceived benefits. In the current study, 5th, 7th, and 9th graders were surveyed about their perceptions of and expe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health psychology 2002-09, Vol.21 (5), p.477-484
Main Authors: Goldberg, Julie H, Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie L, Millstein, Susan G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adolescent Attitudes
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Age Differences
Alcohol consumption
Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects
Alcohol Drinking - prevention & control
Alcohol Drinking - psychology
Alcohol Use
Alcoholism
Attitude to Health
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Decision Making
Experience Level
Experiences (Events)
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Human
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Medical sciences
Motivation
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Risk Assessment
Risk Perception
Risk Taking
Smoking - adverse effects
Smoking - psychology
Smoking Prevention
Social Facilitation
Tobacco Smoking
Young people
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Summary:Some investigators propose that adolescents engage in risky behaviors mainly because they perceive themselves to be invulnerable to risk. However, studies have typically not included perceived benefits. In the current study, 5th, 7th, and 9th graders were surveyed about their perceptions of and experience with alcohol and tobacco. Results indicated that perceptions of the benefits were significantly related to drinking and smoking 6 months later, over and above perceptions of the risks, age of the respondent, and experience level. Further, the importance of benefits was replicated across 3 separate analyses. Experience with alcohol alone, especially positive experience, was also related to perception and behavior. These findings are discussed in terms of how to improve messages and influence adolescents' decisions regarding risk-taking behaviors.
ISSN:0278-6133
1930-7810
DOI:10.1037/0278-6133.21.5.477