Intake of alcoholic beverages, expectations towards alcohol, and consumption contexts among schooled adolescents from Córdoba and Santiago del Estero

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed weekly by adolescents of both sexes, schooled, residing in Cordoba and Santiago del Estero, according to expectations towards alcohol (EA) and consumption contexts (CC), in order to determine differences and associations. The sample was of n = 259 subjects (58.30% female, 41.70% male) aged 13 to 18 years (mean = 16.24, ±sd 1.32), of which 65.64% were living in Córdoba and 34.36% in Santiago del Estero. The data collection was carried out via online. The following instruments were administered: a socio-demograpihc data questionnaire (created ad hoc); the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire for Adolescents (CEA-A); and the Drinking Contexts Questionnaire ? Adolescent form (CCCA-A). Rstudio was used for data analyses. Non-parametric statistics were applied to analyze differences (Wilcoxon test: W) and associations (Spearman correlation coefficient: rho). Type I error was set at ≤ 0.05. No significant differences (p-value < 0.05) were found between the scores obtained by the Cordoba and Santiago del Estero participants in positives EA (which include the factors: sociability, relaxation, and sexuality), in negatives EA (which include the factors: deterioration, risk and aggressiveness, and negative states), and in almost all the CC factors (social facilitation, peer group acceptance, and parental control), except for stress control, in which the Córdoba participants scored significantly higher than those of Santiago del Estero (W = 8943.5, p-value = 0.01216). The average amount of alcoholic beverages (measured in glasses) consumed by adolescents per week was 5.17 glasses (±sd 4.48; median = 4), and did not differ significantly by province (W = 6274, p-value = 0.5964). In all the sample, higher intake of alcoholic beverages was associated with higher positive EA score but also with higher negative EA score, and with all the CC factors (p-value < 0.05). Part of these findings are contradictory to the literature reporting that negatives EA, unlike positives EA, would be associated with lower alcohol consumption in adolescents.