Reciprocal Associations Between Drinking-and-Driving Behavior and Cognitions in Adolescents

McCarthy, Denis M.; Pedersen, Sarah L. · 2009 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2009.70.536

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the reciprocal associations between drinking-and-driving behavior and related cognitions among adolescents as they transition to independent driving. While cognitive factors like attitudes and normative beliefs are known antecedents of risk behaviors, prior research has largely focused on cross-sectional links or general substance use. This longitudinal study addresses the gap in understanding how engagement in drinking and driving influences subsequent perceptions, and how initial cognitions predict later behavior, specifically distinguishing between driving after drinking and riding with a drinking driver. The researchers employed a two-wave longitudinal design with 202 high school youths who completed mailed questionnaires approximately eight months apart. Measures assessed drinking-and-driving frequency, riding with a drinking driver, attitudes regarding dangerousness, normative beliefs about peer acceptance, and perceived negative consequences. Anal utilized repeated measures ANOVA to examine changes in cognitions based on driving and drinking-and-driving experience, and zero-inflated Poisson regression to test whether Time 1 cognitions predicted Time 2 behavior frequencies, controlling for alcohol use, age, and gender. Results demonstrated significant reciprocal influences. Adolescents with prior drinking-and-driving experience viewed the behavior as more dangerous over time, yet simultaneously perceived their peers as more accepting of it. Conversely, those without such experience viewed the behavior as less dangerous over time. Regarding predictive power, Time 1 attitudes significantly predicted increased frequency of driving after drinking at Time 2, while Time 1 normative beliefs predicted increased frequency of riding with a drinking driver. Perceived negative consequences did not significantly influence changes in cognitions or predict future behavior. Additionally, established drivers showed increased perceptions of peer engagement in drinking and driving over time, whereas new drivers did not. The findings support a model where behavior and cognition mutually influence each other, but through distinct mechanisms. Engagement in drinking and driving increases perceived risk while normalizing the behavior through heightened perceptions of peer acceptance. The study highlights that attitudes are primary determinants for driving after alcohol use, whereas normative beliefs are more critical for the decision to ride with a drinking driver. These results suggest that interventions should target specific cognitions depending on the behavior: addressing attitudes to reduce driving after drinking and addressing normative beliefs to reduce riding with drinking drivers. The study underscores the importance of timing interventions during the developmental transition to independent driving.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• passenger effects