TY - JOUR
T1 - Applicability of the theory of planned behavior for predicting alcohol use in spanish early adolescents
AU - Cutrín, Olalla
AU - Fadden, Isotta Mac
AU - Ayers, Stephanie L.
AU - Kulis, Stephen S.
AU - Gómez-Fraguela, Jose Antonio
AU - Marsiglia, Flavio F.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by the Global Center for Applied Health Research (GCAHR; Arizona State University) and supported by the Programa de Axudas á etapa posdoutoral da Xunta de Galicia (Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria) and by FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades—Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Grant PSI2015-65766-R)—under the Axuda para a consolidación e estruturación de unidades de investigación competitivas e outras accións de fomento nas universidades do SUG (GRC, 2018).
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Global Center for Applied Health Research (GCAHR; Arizona State University) and supported by the Programa de Axudas ? etapa posdoutoral da Xunta de Galicia (Conseller?a de Cultura, Educaci?n e Ordenaci?n Universitaria) and by FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovaci?n y Universidades?Agencia Estatal de Investigaci?n (Grant PSI2015-65766-R)?under the Axuda para a consolidaci?n e estruturaci?n de unidades de investigaci?n competitivas e outras acci?ns de fomento nas universidades do SUG (GRC, 2018).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2020/11/2
Y1 - 2020/11/2
N2 - According to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), intentions to perform a specific behavior are the result of attitudes, norms, and perceived control, and in turn, intentions and perceived control are the main predictors of the behavior. This study aimed to test the applicability of TPB in predicting alcohol use in normative pre-adolescents. The sample was composed of 755 Spanish adolescents aged 11 to 15 (M = 12.24; SD = 0.56), 47.1% females, from 12 state secondary schools in Spain. The results of path analysis indicate that positive attitudes towards alcohol, favorable norms towards alcohol, and offer vulnerability (perceived control) are significantly positively related to intentions to use alcohol as well as negatively related to actual behavioral control (i.e., actual strategies to avoid alcohol use). In turn, intentions to use and actual control predict higher alcohol frequency and heavy drinking. Significant indirect effects of these antecedents were found on alcohol outcomes through the mediation of intentions and actual control. The findings suggest that the validity and applicability of the TPB in normative pre-adolescents depend on the severity of alcohol use and point to a need to consider negative social influence in decision making processes in early adolescence.
AB - According to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), intentions to perform a specific behavior are the result of attitudes, norms, and perceived control, and in turn, intentions and perceived control are the main predictors of the behavior. This study aimed to test the applicability of TPB in predicting alcohol use in normative pre-adolescents. The sample was composed of 755 Spanish adolescents aged 11 to 15 (M = 12.24; SD = 0.56), 47.1% females, from 12 state secondary schools in Spain. The results of path analysis indicate that positive attitudes towards alcohol, favorable norms towards alcohol, and offer vulnerability (perceived control) are significantly positively related to intentions to use alcohol as well as negatively related to actual behavioral control (i.e., actual strategies to avoid alcohol use). In turn, intentions to use and actual control predict higher alcohol frequency and heavy drinking. Significant indirect effects of these antecedents were found on alcohol outcomes through the mediation of intentions and actual control. The findings suggest that the validity and applicability of the TPB in normative pre-adolescents depend on the severity of alcohol use and point to a need to consider negative social influence in decision making processes in early adolescence.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Alcohol use
KW - Attitudes
KW - Planned behavior
KW - Resistance strategies
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U2 - 10.3390/ijerph17228539
DO - 10.3390/ijerph17228539
M3 - Article
C2 - 33217907
AN - SCOPUS:85096176264
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 17
SP - 1
EP - 15
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 22
M1 - 8539
ER -