A Comparative Analysis of Ajzen’s TPB and Kuther’s Revised TPB in College Students’ Alcohol Consumption

Abstract

In Korea, college students’ expectations of student life and need to be part of society and alumni networks have considerable influence on their alcohol consumption. Thus, they may be at risk of excessive and sustained drinking behaviors. This study employs the theory of planned behavior(TPB) and Kuther’s revised TPB to examine alcohol consumption of college students in Korea. The results indicate that perceived behavioral control(PBC) is an important factor in the prediction of drinking behavior for the TPB and the revised TPB. For Ajzen’s TPB, subjective norms had no effects on drinking intentions and actual drinking behavior, whereas for Kuther’s revised TPB, parental/peer norms and behaviors had significant effects on drinking behavior both directly and indirectly. For Kuther’s revised TPB, negative expectancies had significant effects on drinking behavior through PBC. In conclusion, Kuther’s revised TPB model could complement TPB by collapsing its subjective norms into peers and family members and specifying attitude construct in the context of alcohol consumption behavior among college students in Korea.