Gender and dating relationship status moderate the association between alcohol use and sex-related alcohol expectancies

Young adulthood can be a period where the development of intimacy and dating relationships coincide with alcohol experimentation. The current study was designed to examine how dating relationship status is associated with drinking behavior. Additionally, although the relationship between sex-related alcohol expectancies and drinking has been established, the current study extends this research by investigating how gender and dating relationship status moderate the association between these expectancies and drinking behavior. A sample of 1932 college students who were single and not actively dating, single and actively dating, or in a steady relationship were included in the analyses. Results revealed that males and females who were actively dating drank significantly more drinks per week than those not dating and those in a relationship. In addition, the association between sex-related alcohol expectancies and drinking behavior was moderated by gender and relationship status. Men with high sex-related alcohol expectancies appeared to be at equal similar risk for greater drinking regardless of relationship status. However, there appears to be unique drinking risk for actively dating women with high sex-related alcohol expectancies.