Interactive Effects within the Prototype Willingness Model: Predicting the Drinking Behavior of Indigenous Early Adolescents

• Main Authors: Armenta, Brian E., Whitbeck, Les B., Gentzler, Kari C.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 2016
• Subjects: Prototype/Willingness Model; drinking; adolescents; Native Americans; Canadian First Nations; Family; Life Course; and Society; Social Psychology and Interaction; Sociology; First Nations
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologyfacpub/289; https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/sociologyfacpub/article/1298/viewcontent/Armenta_PAB_2016_Interactive_Effects_within_the_Prototype.pdf

Drawing on the Prototype/Willingness Model of Adolescent Risk Behavior we used longitudinal data collected from North American Indigenous early adolescents (ages 10–12 years) to examine the interactive effects of favorable drinker prototypes, perceived drinking norms, and past year drinking behavior on subsequent drinking behavior (i.e., drinking behavior 1 year later and growth in drinking behavior from 1–5 years later). We found that the positive association between favorable drinker prototypes and drinking one year later was strongest for adolescents who were high in past year drinking and perceived low drinking norms. The interaction pattern for growth in drinking was more complex and suggested an important pattern; specifically, favorable drinker prototypes were positively associated with drinking five years later, but only for adolescents who reported no past year drinking and perceived low drinking norms. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.