Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Do Religious and Control Cognitions Predict Risky Behavior? I. Development and Validation of the Alcohol-related God Locus of Control Scale for Adolescents (AGLOC-A)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Cognitive Therapy and Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Adolescent alcohol use is a significant problem. Recent evidence suggests that an individual’s belief that God directly controls his or her alcohol use (i.e., alcohol-related God/Higher Power control) may have particular importance as a protective factor against alcohol use and abuse. However, this relationship has not been investigated in adolescents as there are no appropriate measures to examine such beliefs. To address this need, the present study developed and evaluated a measure of alcohol-related God/Higher Power control beliefs for adolescents (AGLOC-A). African American adolescents (N = 356) completed a questionnaire containing the AGLOC-A, alcohol-related internal control beliefs, and frequency of alcohol use and binge drinking in the past 30 days. Findings supported the AGLOC-A as a reliable and valid measure with AGLOC-A scores inversely related to alcohol involvement and distinct from religiosity and social desirability. Alcohol-related God/Higher Power control beliefs may be a useful protective factor against adolescent alcohol use and abuse.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bliss, S. K., & Crown, C. L. (1994). Concern for appropriateness, religiosity, and gender as predictors of alcohol and marijuana use. Social Behavior and Personality, 22, 227–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradizza, C. M., Reifman, A., & Barnes, G. M. (1999). Social and coping reasons for drinking: Predicting alcohol misuse in adolescents. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 60, 491–499.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, D. R., & Gary, L. E. (1994). Religious involvement and health status among African American males. Journal of the National Medical Association, 86, 825–831.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, H. P., & Peterson, J. H. (1991). Assessing spirituality in addiction treatment and follow-up: Development of the Brown-Peterson Recovery Progress Inventory (B-PRPI). Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 8, 21–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. L., Parks, G. S., Zimmerman, R. S., & Phillips, C. M. (2001). The role of religion in predicting adolescent alcohol use and problem drinking. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62, 696–705.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. A., Tate, S. R., Vik, P. W., Haas, A. L., & Aarons, G. A. (1999). Modeling of alcohol use mediates the effect of family history of alcoholism on adolescent alcohol expectancies. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 7, 20–27.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caetano, R. (1997). Prevalence, incidence, and stability of drinking problems among whites, blacks, and Hispanics: 1984–1992. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58, 565–572.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caetano, R., & Clark, C. L. (1998). Trends in alcohol consumption patterns among whites, blacks, and Hispanics: 1984 and 1995. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 59, 659–668.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Connors, G. J., Tonigan, J. S., & Miller, W. R. (1996). A measure of religious background and behavior for use in behavior change research. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 10, 90–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, F. M., Jessor, R., & Turbin, M. S. (1999). Transition into adolescent problem drinking: The role of psychosocial risk and protective factors. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 60, 480–490.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeVellis, R. F. (1991). Scale development: Theory and applications. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, D. N., McKee, C. S., & McRae, B. C. (1976). Dimensionality of three adult, objective locus of control scales. Journal of Personality Assessment, 40, 310–319.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Donahue, M. J., & Benson, P. L. (1995). Religion and the well-being of adolescents. Journal of Social Issues, 51, 145–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donovan, J. E., & O’Leary, M. R. (1978). The Drinking-related Locus of Control scale: Reliability, factor structure, and validity. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 39, 759–784.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, C. G., & Levin, J. S. (1998). The religion-health connection: Evidence, theory, and future directions. Health Education and Behavior, 25, 700–720.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Floyd, F. J., & Widaman, K. F. (1995). Factor analysis in the development and refinement of clinical assessment instruments. Psychological Assessment, 7, 286–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fromme, K., & Brown, S. A. (2000). Empirically based prevention and treatment approaches for adolescent and young adult substance use. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 7, 61–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ginsburg, G. S., Lambert, S. F., & Drake, K. L. (2004). Attributions of control, anxiety sensitivity, and panic symptoms among adolescents. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 28, 745–763.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goggin, K., Malcarne, V. L., Murray, T. S., Metcalf, K. A., & Wallston, K. A. (2007). Do religions and control cognitions predict risky behavior? II. Development and validation of the Sexual risk Behavior-related God Locus of Control scale for Adolescents (SexGLOC-A). Cognitive Therapy and Research, 31, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huckstadt, A. (1987). Locus of control among alcoholics, recovering alcoholics, and non-alcoholics. Research in Nursing and Health, 10, 23–28.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Medicine. (2003, September). Reducing Underage Drinking—A Collective Responsibility. Retrieved September 9, 2003, from http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/388/iom_fact_sheet.pdf.

  • Jessor, R., Turbin, M. S., & Costa, F. M. (1998). Protective factors in adolescent health behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 788–800.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., & Bachman, J. G. (1996). National survey results on drug use from the Monitoring the Future study, 1975–1995 (NIH Publication No. 96-4139). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.

  • Jones-Webb, R. J. (1998). Drinking patterns and problems among African Americans: Recent findings. Alcohol Health and Research World, 22, 260–264.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Malcarne, V. L. (1999). Cognitive factors in chronic illness: Empirical approaches. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 13, 115–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R, & Thoresen, C. E. (1999). Spirituality and health. In W. R. Miller (Ed.), Integrating spirituality into treatment: Resources for practitioners (pp. 3–18). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, T. S., Goggin, K., & Malcarne, V. L. (2006). Development and validation of the Alcohol-related God Locus of Control scale. Addictive Behaviors, 31, 553–558.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, T. S., Malcarne, V. L., & Goggin, K. (2003). Alcohol-related God/higher power control beliefs, locus of control, and recovery within the Alcoholics Anonymous paradigm. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 21, 23–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newcomb, M. D. (1997). Psychosocial predictors and consequences of drug use: A developmental perspective within a prospective study. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 16, 51–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oziel, L. J., Obitz, F. W., & Keyson, M. (1972). General and specific perceived locus of control in alcoholics. Psychological Reports, 30, 957–958.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pargament, K. I., Kennell, J., Hathaway, W., Grevengoed, N., Newman, J., & Jones, W. (1988). Religion and the problem-solving process: Three styles of coping. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 27, 90–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, L. H. (1992). The cognitive underpinnings of coronary-prone behaviors. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16, 123–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, C., Hurford, D. P., Allison, J., Sparks, R., & Cameron, B. P. (1997). Facilitation of internal locus of control in adolescent alcoholics through a brief biofeedback-assisted autogenic relaxation training procedure. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 14, 55–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strahan, R., & Gerbasi, K. C. (1972). Short, homogeneous versions of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 28, 191–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Mattis, J., & Chatters, L. M. (1999). Subjective religiosity among African Americans: A synthesis of finding from five national samples. Journal of Black Psychology, 25, 524–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turk, D. C., & Rudy, T. E. (1992). Cognitive factors and persistent pain: A glimpse into Pandora’s box. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16, 99–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vega, W. A., Zimmerman, R. S., Warheit, G. J., Apospori, E., & Gil, A. G. (1993). Risk factors for early adolescent drug use in four ethnic and racial groups. American Journal of Public Health, 83, 185–189.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, E. F., Brown, S. A., Monti, P. M., Myers, M. G., & Waldron, H. B. (1999). Innovations in adolescent substance abuse intervention. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 23, 236–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, J. M. (1999). The sociology of addiction: Race, risk, and resilience. Pediatrics, 103, 1122–1127.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wallston, K. A. (2001). Conceptualization and operationalization of perceived control. In A. Baum, T. A. Revenson, & J. E. Singer (Eds.), Handbook of health psychology (pp. 49–58). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallston, K. A., Malcarne, V. L., Flores, L., Hansdottir, I., Smith, C. A., Stein, M. J., et al. (1999). Does God determine your health? The God Health Locus of Control scale. Cognitive Therapy and Research 23, 131–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. J., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (1999). Restrained drinking and cognitive control among adolescents. Adolescence, 34, 557–565.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Willis, A. S., Wallston, K. A., & Johnston, K. (2001). Tobacco and alcohol use among young adults: Exploring religious faith, locus of health control, and coping strategies as predictors. In T. Plante, & A. Sherman (Eds.), Faith and health (pp. 213–237). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wills, T. A., Yaeger, A. M., & Sandy, J. M. (2003). Buffering effect of religiosity for adolescent substance use. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17, 24–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Windle, M. (1991). Alcohol use and abuse: Some findings from the National Adolescent Student Health Survey. Alcohol Health and Research World, 15, 5–10.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This study was supported by National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Grant R21-AA-1307501 and in part by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Grant 1U79SP08962. We wish to acknowledge the contributions of the youth participants, community partner site staff members, the Kansas City Free Health Clinic “ONYX” staff, and the UMKC HIV/AIDS Research Group, without whom this work could not have been done.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 4825 Troost, Ste. 111-D, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA

    Kathy Goggin

  2. Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University—Mansfield, Mansfield, OH, USA

    Thomas S. Murray

  3. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Vanessa L. Malcarne

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, University of California—San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Sandra A. Brown

  5. School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Kenneth A. Wallston

Authors
  1. Kathy Goggin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas S. Murray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vanessa L. Malcarne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sandra A. Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kenneth A. Wallston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathy Goggin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goggin, K., Murray, T.S., Malcarne, V.L. et al. Do Religious and Control Cognitions Predict Risky Behavior? I. Development and Validation of the Alcohol-related God Locus of Control Scale for Adolescents (AGLOC-A). Cogn Ther Res 31, 111–122 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-006-9091-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-006-9091-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation