Alcohol expectancies and the personal and parental drinking patterns of women

(1) Do the alcohol expectancies of women significantly differ based on their personal consumption and/or on their perceptions of parental alcohol abuse? (2) What is the relationship between perceived parental problem drinking and current expectancies about alcohol consumption? Subjects were 238 female college students, aged 18 to 52 years. Subjects completed the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test, the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire and rated the quantity and frequency of their current alcohol consumption. A 2 x 3 MANOVA revealed a significant main effect of personal consumption on all six alcohol expectancy domains. The more a woman drinks, the higher her expectancies, particularly for Increased Physical and Social Pleasure. A family history of parental alcohol abuse in general did not result in differences in personal consumption or in alcohol expectancies. However, women who felt personally responsible for their parents' alcohol abuse consistently reported higher Global Positive alcohol expectancies. The implications of these findings for the prevention and treatment of alcoholism in women are discussed.