Wiers R W, Gunning W B, Sergeant J A
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, and Academic Medical Center, Ansterdam Institute for Addiction Research, The Netherlands.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1998 Nov;22(8):1855-63.
Alcohol-related expectancies and alcohol use were examined in 185 children of alcoholics (COAs) and controls, aged 7 to 18 years. Concerning the expectancies of young COAs, two contrasting hypotheses have been proposed: COAs should hold more negative expectancies than controls due to aversive learning, or hold more positive expectancies due to either social learning or a more favorable response to alcohol. We propose that COAs of elementary school age hold more negative expectancies due to aversive learning, whereas older COAs hold more positive expectancies due to a more favorable response to alcohol. The critical variable with respect to the change from more negative to more positive expectancies is proposed to be the child's own initiation of alcohol use. The results of the present cross-sectional study provide suggestive evidence in favor of this hypothesis. First, elementary school-aged COAs had stronger negative expectancies than controls. Second, the hypothesized interaction between family history and own experience with alcohol was confirmed in the adolescent subsample. The proposed model should be critically tested with longitudinal data. If confirmed, the model may be of importance for prevention of alcohol-related problems in high-risk populations.
对185名年龄在7至18岁的酗酒者子女（COA）和对照组儿童的酒精相关预期及酒精使用情况进行了研究。关于年轻COA的预期，提出了两种截然不同的假设：由于厌恶学习，COA应比对照组持有更多负面预期；或者由于社会学习或对酒精更有利的反应，COA应持有更多正面预期。我们提出，小学年龄的COA由于厌恶学习而持有更多负面预期，而年龄较大的COA由于对酒精更有利的反应而持有更多正面预期。从更多负面预期转变为更多正面预期的关键变量被认为是儿童自身开始饮酒。本横断面研究的结果提供了支持这一假设的提示性证据。首先，小学年龄的COA比对照组有更强的负面预期。其次，在青少年子样本中证实了家族史与自身饮酒经历之间的假设性相互作用。所提出的模型应使用纵向数据进行严格检验。如果得到证实，该模型可能对预防高危人群中的酒精相关问题具有重要意义。
