The Chicken or the Egg: Examining Temporal Precedence Among Attitudes, Injunctive Norms, and College Student Drinking

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective: The present study was designed to test for projection, conformity, or reciprocal associations among attitudes, injunctive norms, and drinking. Assuming that these constructs are not independent, we proposed three possible trajectories. A conformity model would suggest that injunctive norms should temporally precede drinking or attitudes. Alternatively, a projection model would suggest that attitudes or alcohol use would precede injunctive norms. Furthermore, by examining the processes over three time points, the current study would also examine whether both conformity and projection processes were at work, indicating reciprocal relationships. Method: Participants included 249 college students (63.1% female), who participated as a control group in a larger intervention trial. Structural equation modeling was used to examine cross-sectional and prospective associations among injunctive norms, attitudes, and drinking across each of the three time points. Results: Findings demonstrated three significant cross-lagged associations. Injunctive norms at Time 1 was significantly associated with drinking at Time 2 (conformity), and both attitudes and drinking at Time 2 were significantly associated with injunctive norms at Time 3 (projection). The pattern of cross-lagged associations suggested one meaningful indirect pathway, from Time 1 injunctive norms to Time 2 drinking to Time 3 injunctive norms (reciprocal association). Conclusions: The present study suggests that both the conformity and the projection processes seem to be important and evident for college student drinking when considering injunctive norms and drinking over time. Interventions that focus on both conformity and projection may be particularly effective at reducing longer-term alcohol use. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 76, 594-601, 2015)

Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among College Students: Patterns, Correlates, Norms, and Consequences

“…In addition, SAM users, compared with nonusers, reported higher SAM use norm perceptions as did those who engaged in SAM use frequently compared with infrequently. Thus, consistent with the previous literature on alcohol and marijuana use (e.g., Lewis et al., 2015a; Wolfson, ), those who report heavier SAM use also report higher normative perceptions.…”

Adolescent Social Norms and Alcohol Use: Separating Between‐ and Within‐Person Associations to Test Reciprocal Determinism

“…Conversely, during years when an adolescent's alcohol use was higher than usual, perceived descriptive and injunctive norms increased the following year. These findings are the first to demonstrate reciprocal associations between descriptive and injunctive norms and alcohol use on the within‐person level of analysis and are consistent with prior studies assessing reciprocal effects on the between‐person level of analysis (e.g., Lewis et al., ; Marks et al., ; Wardell & Read, ). Moreover, support for reciprocal associations between perceived drinking norms and alcohol use from early through late adolescence supports reciprocal determinism in that social norms and alcohol use both shape and are shaped by one another.…”

“…To date, studies assessing reciprocal determinism for social norms and alcohol use have predominantly used college samples (e.g., Lee, Geisner, Patrick, & Neighbors, 2010;Lewis, Litt, & Neighbors, 2015), despite the evidence that norms are particularly dynamic during adolescence. Only one study, to our knowledge, has examined reciprocal effects between adolescent social norms and alcohol use.…”

“…A statistical limitation of assessing reciprocal determinism only on the between-person level is that such analyses can lead to inaccurate estimation of reciprocal associations if within-person associations are present (Curran, Howard, Bainter, Lane, & McGinley, 2014). The failure of prior work to distinguish between-and within-person associations may account for why some studies have found support for reciprocal determinism (Lee et al, 2010;Lewis et al, 2015;Litt, Lewis, Rhew, Hodge, & Kaysen, 2015;Marks et al, 1992;Neighbors, Dillard, Lewis, Bergstrom, & Neil, 2006;Wardell & Read, 2013) and others have not (Farrell, 1994;Read, Wood, & Capone, 2005).…”

Tapping Into Motivations for Drinking Among Youth: Normative Beliefs About Alcohol Use Among Underage Drinkers in the United States

“…Research examining the temporal relationships between perceived norms and drinking have shown direct effects of perceived descriptive and injunctive norms on subsequent drinking behavior among youth (Elek, Miller-Day, & Hecht, 2006; Larimer et al, 2004). However, there is also evidence of a reciprocal relationship, with perceived descriptive and injunctive norms predicting subsequent drinking, and also concurrent drinking predicting subsequent perceived norms (Lewis, Litt & Neighbors, 2015; Neighbors, Dillard, Lewis, Bergstrom & Neil, 2006; Wardell & Read, 2013). Future research should also examine perceived benefits within a longitudinal context to better understand the dynamic interplay of these moderators.…”