Confirmatory factor analysis of alcohol expectancy scales

Expectations about the effects of alcohol are assumed to be an important psychosocial factor in both abusive and nonabusive drinking. Despite a body of research showing that people do hold some common expectations about alcohol effects, the nature of these expectancies is not well understood. Questionnaires developed to measure alcohol expectancies carry the assumption that expectancies are composed of several specific and independent factors. Confirmatory factor analyses of these scales indicate that the scales do not clearly reflect these distinct underlying dimensions. A scale for measuring expectancies that better explicates the nature and organization of alcohol expectancies will provide a much firmer footing for future studies on the contribution of expectancies to problem drinking.