Citation

Ecker AH, Cohen AS, Buckner JD. Addict. Behav. 2016; 64: 107-110.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA. Electronic address: jbuckner@lsu.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.08.038

PMID

27597131

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Overestimation of the amount that other students drink is related to alcohol-related problems. Although beliefs concerning students' friends tend to be stronger predictors of drinking than beliefs regarding students generally, little research has focused on overestimation of friends' drinking-related problems.

OBJECTIVES: Test hypotheses that students overestimate a close friend's drinking-related problems and that such overestimation would relate to more frequent drinking and related problems.

METHOD: Participant/Friend pairs (N=55) completed online measures of drinking-related beliefs and behaviors.

RESULTS: Participants overestimated the alcohol-related problem severity experienced by their friends. Greater overestimation of friends' problems was related to greater participant alcohol-related problems and binge drinking.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPORTANCE: Cognitive distortions regarding a friend's drinking-related behaviors may be useful therapeutic targets.

Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Language: en