An alcohol expectancy-challenge prevention program for at-risk college women

Alcohol expectancy-challenge programs are effective in changing expectancies and reducing drinking in college men (J. Darkes & M. S. Goldman, 1993, 1998); however, recent evidence suggests this protocol might not be effective for women (M. E. Dunn, C. Lau, & I. Y. Cruz, 2000). This study was designed to reevaluate the effectiveness of a social/sexual expectancy-challenge intervention in college women reporting moderate to heavy alcohol use. Forty-six undergraduate women were randomly assigned to the prevention or control condition. Participants reported alcohol expectancies at pre- and posttest and monitored their drinking patterns daily for 6 weeks. The program was effective in changing some expectancies but did not reduce drinking. This further confirms differences in the mechanisms by which expectancy-challenge programs function for men and women.