Ronald P. Schlegel

Correspondence and Mediational Properties of the Fishbein Model: An Application to Adolescent Alcohol Use.

Abstract The generalizability of the Fishbein model for behavior prediction was extended to a new field behavior, alcohol drinking by adolescents. The models two components (i.e., attitudes and normative beliefs) varied in their predictive importance depending on the behaviors situational context. Following this field demonstration, two issues related to properties affecting the models predictive effectiveness were investigated. First, it was found that the predictability of alcohol-drinking intentions ( BI ) declined when attitudes ( A act ) and normative beliefs ( NB ) did not correspond with BI in terms of alcohol type (beer, liquor, or wine) and drinking situation (home, party, or pub). A second experiment tested the hypothesis that exogenous variables (those other than A act and NB ) would have a direct influence on BI . A comprehensive test was provided within the context of Jessors multivariate predictive system for adolescent alcohol use. Present data indicate only a marginal increase in explained variance occurred when applying this system, thereby generally indicating the sufficiency of the Fishbein models two components.

Smoking cessation in family practice: The effects of advice and nicotine chewing gum prescription

The efficacy of physician anti-smoking intervention with 289 patients in a family practice setting was assessed. The design included two treatment conditions, physician advice and physician advice plus the offer of nicotine chewing gum (NCG) prescription. A no-advice group permitted assessment of the effects of repeated testing. The NCG group had higher rates of abstinence at all follow-up points, but the difference approached statistical significance at 3 months only (p less than .10). Comparison of those who actually used NCG to all other groups revealed significantly more users were abstinent at 1- and 3-month follow-up. A similar pattern occurred for proportion attempting cessation and smoking reduction. A dose-response relationship of gum use to outcome was identified. Long-term users (greater than 20 days) had 86% abstinence at 3 months versus 18% for short-term users. Thus, NCG does appear to have a role in family practice for promoting short-term cessation.

Gender Differences for the Risk of Alcohol-Related Problems in Multiple National Contexts

The primary research question asked is: After holding alcohol consumption constant, will men and women be at equal risk for a variety of alcohol-related problems? Since women are actually at a higher blood alcohol content at the same consumption levels, a physiological argument would suggest that women are at equal or greater risk for alcohol problems than men. However, variation in societal norms surrounding gender roles and/or societal-level stress may mediate the experience of men and women, regardless of the differences in physiology. Ten cross-sectional general population studies are used. Analyses control for individual-level variables (age, quantity, and frequency of drinking) and societal-level variables (proportion of women in the work force and female suicide rate) that might confound these relationships; cross-study homogeneity is examined.

Immediate and delayed effects of the "Five-Day Plan to Stop Smoking" including factors affecting recidivism.

Abstract This study evaluated the “Five-Day Plan to Stop Smoking” in comparison with a control group matched on relevant criteria. The Five-Day group differed significantly from the control group both immediately after the treatment and 6 weeks later; 67.9 and 46.4% of the treatment group were abstinent at these two points, respectively. Motivation as measured by expectancy beliefs was shown to interact significantly with the treatment and time factors. Persons who participated in the Five-Day Plan and held a high expectancy of achieving their goal were most successful in immediate quitting; this level was maintained over time only if a high expectancy was held for maintaining ones goal after having cut down. Another factor affecting recidivism was the perceived influence of cigarette advertising. Suggestions for increased efficacy included tailoring treatments, including more emphasis on self-management procedures.

A Guided Decision-Making Program for Elementary School Students

The illicit use of beverage alcohol by adolescents has long been acknowledged as the primary drug problem among young people (Braucht, Brakarsh, Follingstad, & Berry, 1973; Wechsler & Thum, 1973). One report (U.S. Department of Health, Education, & Welfare, 1974) found that 7% of seventh grade students drank beer at least once a week, while 42% drank weekly by Grade 12. An Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario survey in 1974 found that alcohol use among Grade 7 students in a major metropolitan area had increased to 51.1% from the 1968 level of 22.9% (Smart & Fejer, 1974). Among a representative sample of 4,734 students in Ontario in 1979, alcohol use in the past year among Grade 7 students was reported by 57% (Smart, Goodstadt, Sheppard, & LeBain, 1980). An in-depth study of a smaller sample representative of Ontario revealed 24% of 15- to 17-year-olds have had at least one symptoms of dependent drinking (Smart, Blair, & Brown, 1978). Another study (Ennis, 1978) found that 23% of auto collisions among students 16 to 18 years of age involved alcohol despite alcohol use being illegal below age 18. Sixty percent of this same sample had driven a car within an hour of consuming two drinks and 20% had done so or more times. Since alcohol use is increasingly prevalent by the eight grade and significant problem drinking appears to occur soon thereafter, Grade 8 students would be an appropriate age group to target for alcohol intervention programs.

Effects of attitude change on behavior for highly involving issues: The case of marijuana smoking

Abstract Two studies investigated the immediate effects of persuasive communications on marijuana attitudes, intentions and behavior as well as delayed impact over a 6-week follow-up period. The persuasive appeals were directed at beliefs that were the most important predictors of behavior. Results indicated that certain beliefs (e.g., hedonism) were highly resistant whereas others (e.g., control of actions) were somewhat more amenable to influence attempts. However, even when attitude change was successful, correspondent changes in intentions and behavior did not necessarily follow. The need to further study resistance factors and the apparent complexity of the attitude-behavior relationship for the real-life, highly involving topics of marijuana use in particular and addictive behaviors more generally was discussed.

Some Methodological Procedures for the Evaluation of Educational Programs for Prevention of Adolescent Alcohol Use and Abuse

An alcohol education program and procedures for its evaluation are described. Various alcohol programs were administered to eighth grade students in ways to reduce Hawthorne effects and other experimental biases. Procedures, which were independently administered from the program delivery, are discussed whereby data were obtained pertaining to process and outcome variables. Obtaining other types of data as well is suggested in order to provide as much information as possible to assist in the interpre tation of results. Finally, various data analyses as well as sample size are considered.

The Role of Persuasive Communications in Drug Dissuasion.

Many current programs in drug education are not based on sound social psychological principles; consequently, program effectiveness has been very mixed. This report presents an experimental study in which changes in marijuana attitudes and smoking intentions were attempted using the formal communication approach. Using this study as an example, problems and issues relevant to drug education are discussed, centered around the basic question “Who says what to whom with what effect?” Several “currently useful generalizations” derived from past research and the present study are suggested.