Negative emotional expectancies and readiness to change among college student binge drinkers

While expectancies are considered to be an important cognitive variable in the etiology and maintenance of substance use, less is known about their role in attitudes toward addictive behavior change. It has recently been suggested that negative alcohol expectancies, in particular, might play a fundamental role in motivation to change. Among a population of college student binge drinkers, the differential ability of positive and negative expectancies to predict total readiness to change (RTC) scores was examined. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that controlling for level of consumption and number of drinking-related problems, negative and not positive expectancies significantly predicted RTC. In an examination of expectancy subtypes, negative emotional expectancies emerged as the only significant predictor of change motivation. Possible explanations for the findings and implications for interventions with undergraduate heavy drinkers are discussed.