Abstract
Two social psychological theories (the Fishbein Model and the Health Belief Model) were used to derive attitude and belief factors to predict intentions to drive while under the influence of alcohol and actual drinking-driving behavior in a college population. The results revealed strong support for the Fishbein theory; attitudes and normative beliefs predicted intentions, while intentions were the best predictor of subsequent behavior. From the Health Belief Model, specific beliefs regarding one's effectiveness at being able to avoid getting caught by the police and cause an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol were also significantly related to drinking-driving intentions and behavior. These findings indicate that decisions to drink and drive are the result of one's personal evaluation of this behavior and one's perceived ability to control the threatening consequences. Thus drinking and driving may continue to be so prevalent in a college population because they erroneously believe that they are still safe drivers and effective at controlling the attendant risks.
Keywords
NormativeTheory of reasoned actionPsychologySocial psychologyTheory of planned behaviorHealth belief modelPopulationHuman factors and ergonomicsNormative social influenceControl (management)Poison controlClinical psychologyEnvironmental healthMedicineHealth educationPublic healthNursing
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Intention to commit driving violations: An application of the theory of planned behavior.
This study assessed the ability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to account for drivers' intentions to commit four specific driving violations: drinking and driving, spee...
Determinants of College Women's Intentions to Tell Their Partners to Use Condoms<sup>1</sup>
In assessing college women's intentions to tell their partners to use condoms every time they have sexual intercourse, the present study examined the applicability of the theory...
Isolating Attitudinal and Normative Influences in Behavioral Intentions Models
Behavioral intentions often have been used as a surrogate for actual behavior in choice models and to reflect the impact of marketing variables. The Fishbein behavioral intentio...
Identification of Campaign Recruitment Strategies for a Stepped Smoking Cessation Intervention for a College Campus
A rapprochement of the Stepped Approach Model of health care delivery and Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior was used to identify campaign recruitment strategies for a stepped s...
Cross‐Cultural Testing of Three Social Cognitive Theories: An Application to Condom Use<sup>1</sup>
The aim of this study was to test the cross‐cultural validity of Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action, Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, and Triandis' theory of inte...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1981
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 377-388
- Citations
- 75
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
75
OpenAlex
Cite This
Kenneth H. Beck
(1981).
Driving While Under the Influence of Alcohol: Relationship to Attitudes and Beliefs in a College Population.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
, 8
(3)
, 377-388.
https://doi.org/10.3109/00952998109009561
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.3109/00952998109009561