Alcohol Expectancies among High School Students in Inner Mongolia, China

Objective — This study examines differences in Chinese high school students’ alcohol expectancies by drinking status (nondrinker, occasional drinker, regular drinker) and gender (male, female). Method — The authors administered the Chinese Adolescent Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (CAEQ) to a convenience sample of 1244 high school students (M = 627; F = 617) from schools in Hohhot City and Tongliao City in Inner Mongolia, China. Results — Differences were found in the 8 CAEQ factors (3 negative and 5 positive factors). Regular drinkers had lower negative consequences and higher positive perception expectancies than nondrinkers or occasional drinkers. Nondrinkers had higher harm to person/reputation expectancies than occasional or regular drinkers. Occasional drinkers had higher beneficial/moderation and lower harm to person/reputation expectancies than nondrinkers. Boys had higher positive perception expectancies than girls. Conclusion — Expectancies are associated with Chinese adolescents’ drinking. Identifying the characteristics of alcohol consuming youth can inform the development of prevention interventions and alcohol policies