Comparing theoretical models for the understanding of health-risk behaviour: Towards an integrative model of adolescent alcohol consumption

Abstract

The aim of the present manuscript is to test and compare the theory of reasoned action (TRA), theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and prototype-willingness model (PWM) in predicting risky alcohol consumption among adolescents and to build an integrative model to get a more comprehensive understanding of such risky behaviour. A total sample of 518 adolescents (55% females; 13-19 aged) recruited from Italian schools (7th to 12th grade) participated in a cross-sectional research study and completed an online questionnaire. Risky alcohol use assessed through the AUDIT-C was the dependent variable; whereas, variables from the TRA, TPB, and PWM (i.e. attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, intention, prototype favourability and similarity, and willingness to alcohol use) were used as predictors. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings show that the integrative model had greater explanatory power and provided a better fit to the data, compared to the TRA, TPB, and PWM, indicating attitudes and subjective norms as the best predictors. In conclusion, perceived social approval from significant others and the volitional component have a central role in understanding adolescents’ alcohol consumption.

Alcohol binge drinking in adolescence and psychological profile: Can the preclinical model crack the chicken-or-egg question?

“…AUDIT-C uses a 5-point Likert scale, resulting in an overall score ranging from 0 to 12: scores of 0 were defined as current abstainers; scores <3 are consistent with non-atrisk alcohol consumption, thus moderate-drinkers scored 1-2 (females) and 1-3 (males); binge-drinkers were defined as AUDIT-C scores of ≥3 (females) and ≥4 (males). Previous studies have confirmed internal consistency α = 0.75 (31).…”

The theory of planned behavior: Selected recent advances and applications

“…The paper contributed by Andrea Caputo (“Comparing theoretical models for the understanding of health-risk behavior: Towards an integrative model of adolescent alcohol consumption”) applied the TPB in combination with the prototype-willingness model (PWM) to predict risky alcohol consumption among adolescents ( Caputo, 2020 ). In essence, PWM considers prototype favourability and similarity as an additional behavioral antecedent.…”

Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Analyze Household Energy-Saving Behavior

“…Subjective norm is defined as the perceived external social pressure or expectation of a particular group of people or society to perform certain behaviors (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975;Ajzen, 1991;Ajzen and Fishbein, 2000). Subjective norms are the best predictor of a person's behavior (Caputo, 2020;La Barbera and Ajzen, 2020). Several studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between subjective norms and household energysaving intention (Hori et al, 2013;Chen et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2018a;Ding et al, 2019;Mansor and Sheau-Tingi, 2019;Nie et al, 2019;Hien and Chi, 2020).…”

“…The more positive person's attitude towards a behavior, the more likely that person intends to perform a behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Attitude is a significant factor related to an individual's intention to perform a behavior (Verplanken and Orbell, 2003;Bosnjak et al, 2020;Caputo, 2020). Recent studies have shown that an energy-saving attitude positively affects household energy-saving intention (Zhang et al, 2014;Chen et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2018a;Ding et al, 2019;Mansor and Sheau-Tingi, 2019;Nie et al, 2019;Hien and Chi, 2020).…”