Relationship among social and intrapersonal risk, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol usage among early adolescents.

Numerous studies have shown that adolescents' expectancies about the effects of alcohol influence usage. Expectancies are described as mediators between social influences (such as peer and parental influences) and alcohol use. The present study examined the relationship between social risk factors (peer influence and parental approval), intrapersonal risk factors (tolerance of deviance and sensation seeking), alcohol expectancies, and alcohol usage in a cohort of seventh graders. It was hypothesized that social risk factors affected alcohol usage indirectly through expectancies, while intrapersonal risk factors influenced usage both directly and indirectly. Structural modeling was used to examine the hypothesized relationships between these four constructs. Results indicated that the hypothesis that expectancies mediate social influences was not supported, and that social influences exerted a direct influence on usage independent of expectancies. Results suggested that the view that expectancies mediate social risk factors may need modification. Suggestions for future research in this area include the need to examine the relationships among these constructs longitudinally and with adolescents over a broader age range.

Risk factors and their relation to initiation of alcohol use among early adolescents.

This study examined the relationship between risk factors and initiation of alcohol use over a 15-month period among a cohort of 7th graders who were abstainers at the time of initial testing. The relationship between risk factors and alcohol use was examined using a discriminant function analysis. At the univariate level, rejection of parental authority, deviant behavior, and sensation seeking were statistically significant. The discriminant function retained only three of the risk factors: rejection of parental authority, deviant behavior, and religious commitment. Implications for school-based prevention programs are discussed, particularly the need to target primary prevention programs based upon adolescents' risk.

The user satisfaction survey: consumer evaluation of an inner city community mental health center.

The consumer movement has become a recognized force in American society. Yet consumer evaluation of community mental health services has largely been ignored or avoided particularly when users lack political or social power. As a first step toward increasing the accountability of providers to community users, a User Satisfaction Survey was developed. The 30-item scale is straightforward and requires 15 to 20 minutes to complete. The scale was field tested by 114 users of the adult outpatient services of an inner city community mental health center in Washington, D.C.