Can you drink to that? Replication and revision of the motives for abstaining from alcohol questionnaire (MAAQ-R) among generation Z students and the general population

OBJECTIVE: Growing rates of abstention within higher-income countries and among younger populations (i.e. Generation Z) signals a need to expand our understanding of why drinkers reduce or abstain from alcohol consumption. This paper revisits the Motives for Abstaining from Alcohol Questionnaire (MAAQ) developed by Stritzke and Butt (2001) to validate its use within new populations. METHODS AND MEASURES: = 178) and adapted items to reflect social responsibilities outside of education. RESULTS: While the initial factor structure demonstrated good model fit, separating items capturing alcohol-related consequences into distinct subscales improved fit compared to the original 5-factor structure. These new factors capture fear of negative consequences (i.e. "Being intoxicated or drunk may make me vulnerable and put me at risk for harm.") versus social responsibility concerns (i.e. "Drinking may interfere with my school [job] performance.") which uniquely predicted fewer drinking occasions and alcohol units consumed per occasion, respectively. CONCLUSION: Consistent with alternative measures of abstinence and self-determination theory, findings suggest externally and internally motivated consequences predict unique drinking outcomes.