Spanish version of the Positive Expectancies for Drinking and Driving for Youth

Abstract

In most developed countries, motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death among young people, and a large proportion of motor vehicle accidents are alcohol-related. In Spain there are no currently available instruments for assessing positive expectancies related to drinking and driving behavior. Attempting to modify these expectancies may be an effective prevention approach, so there is a need for a valid and reliable scale to measure the construct. The aims of the present study were to translate, culturally adapt, and examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish-language version of the Positive Expectancies for Drinking and Driving for Youth (PEDD-Y) in a sample of Spanish young adults. A total of 352 college students with drivers licenses were recruited at a university in southeast Spain. We examined the factor structure, psychometric properties (reliability and validity) and temporal stability of the Spanish version of the PEDD-Y among Spanish young adult drivers. Findings indicated that the Spanish version of the PEDD-Y demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties and was shown to significantly predict lifetime prevalence and future intentions to drink and drive as well as riding with a drunk driver. The Convenience factor performed with the most consistent reliability and predictive validity. Limitations and future research questions are discussed.