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Virginia Tech

The Role of Expectancies and Personality Factors in the Formation of Alcohol and Marijuana Use Motives among College Students

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Undergraduates at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (N = 306) were surveyed to investigate the formation of alcohol and marijuana use motives. Based upon a hypothesized path model effect expectancies, use motives, use frequencies, and use-related problems for alcohol and marijuana were assessed via self-report. Personality factors of sensation-seeking, sociability, and neuroticism-anxiety were also assessed during this single session. Many of the hypothesized pathways were confirmed via multiple regression methods for path analysis. The findings indicated that use motives are related to theoretically more distal influences such as related personality factors and drug effect expectancies. Motives were found to consistently account for substantial variation in use and the development of problems related to alcohol and marijuana in the sample. In some cases these motives not only predicted use, but also appeared to mediate the influences of personality factors and expectancies. Finally, specific motives were found to account for significant variation in the development of substance-related problems even after controlling for the frequency of use.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Psychology
Department dc:contributor.department
Psychology
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2004

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Jones, Mark Edward
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Stephens, Robert S.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Clum, George A. Jr.
  • Cooper, Lee D.

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-05242004-133852
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/42785

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Jones, Mark Edward. The Role of Expectancies and Personality Factors in the Formation of Alcohol and Marijuana Use Motives among College Students. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/42785