Self-Attributions for Alcohol Use in Older Teenagers

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Abstract
Results are presented of a study investigating the reasons older teenagers give for alcohol use, as moderated by sex and level of use. Reasons for drinking represent a schema for alcohol use, and are often called “common-sense” explanations. In particular, the number of reasons for drinking is an important variable, and, extending Kelley's (1972) notions of multiple causality, we predicted that the number of reasons given would be directly related to level of alcohol use. Four hundred and thirty teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 from Humberside, U.K., completed the questionnaire. Most of these drank recreationally, but heavier drinkers were more likely to drink ‘to get drunk’, because they ‘like the effects’, and because ‘it cheers me up’. Heavier drinking females, but not males, were more likely to drink ‘to be confident’. For both males and females heavier drinkers had more reasons for alcohol use. These results indicate that older teenagers' self-attributions for alcohol use may be an important basis for alcohol education and treatment. By discouraging drinking for inappropriate reasons, and by limiting the number of reasons for drinking, a more positive and sensible schema for alcohol use can be established.