The relative strength of attitudes versus perceived drinking norms as predictors of alcohol use

Social cognitive factors such as perceived norms and personal attitudes toward alcohol consumption are reliable predictors of alcohol use and related problems. The current study aimed to evaluate the relative importance of one's attitude toward alcohol use as a unique and important predictor of drinking related outcomes when directly compared to perceived descriptive and injunctive norms. Participants were mandated students (n=568; 28% female) who violated a campus alcohol policy and received a Brief Motivational Intervention. Analyses included the use of linear regression for prospective predictions to evaluate the relative importance of predictors which included perceived descriptive norms and injunctive norms, and attitudes toward moderate and heavy alcohol use. Overall, the results indicate that one's attitude toward heavy alcohol use is a stronger predictor of drinks per week, binge frequency, as well as alcohol related problems when directly compared to norms. Thus, the findings of the current study provide a compelling rationale for incorporating attitudes in the development and refinement of intervention strategies.