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Influencing Inhalant Intentions by Changing Socio-Personal Expectations

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Abstract

This study investigates an approach for reducing inhalant initiation among younger adolescents: altering Socio-Personal Expectations (SPEs), a term referring to perceived linkages between behavior and personally relevant social outcomes. The study focuses specifically on SPEs regarding outcomes associated with increased social status and popularity. An anti-inhalant message was embedded within a short anti-bullying education video. Young adolescents (N = 893) were assigned randomly to receive a message focused on the physical or the social harms of inhalant use. The objectives of this study were to test: (1) the malleability of SPEs, (2) SPEs’ predictive validity for future inhalant use, and (3) whether being exposed to a socio-personal threat, rather than a physical threat, led to different variables affecting drug-relevant decision-making processes. Analysis of variance suggested the malleability of SPEs (p < .001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that SPEs were predictive of future inhalant use. SPEs accounted for a significant portion of variance in future intentions over and above demographic variables, prior use, psychosocial variables, and perceived physical harm (R 2 = .26, p < .01). Moreover, being exposed to a social, rather than a physical threat, message resulted in different variables being predictive of future intentions to use inhalants.

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  1. Department of Psychology, School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, 123 East 8th Street, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA

    Jason T. Siegel, Eusebio M. Alvaro, William D. Crano, Jessica Skenderian, Andrew Lac & Neil Patel

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  1. Jason T. Siegel
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  2. Eusebio M. Alvaro
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  3. William D. Crano
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  6. Neil Patel
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Correspondence to Jason T. Siegel.

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The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This research was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse Grant 5R01 DA015957-03, which we gratefully acknowledge. We thank Justin Hackett, Vanessa Hemovich, and Sarah Ting for their assistance at various phases of this research.

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Siegel, J.T., Alvaro, E.M., Crano, W.D. et al. Influencing Inhalant Intentions by Changing Socio-Personal Expectations. Prev Sci 9, 153–165 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0091-z

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