A National Study on Drinking Game Behaviors and Related Consequences Among NCAA Student-Athletes: Racial/Ethnic and Sex Differences

Abstract

Research indicates that college student-athletes report more alcohol use and negative drinking consequences than non-student-athletes. One drinking practice that has been linked to heavy alcohol use and related consequences is playing drinking games. In the present study, we investigated which segment of the student-athlete population is most at risk for frequent drinking game participation, elevated alcohol consumption while playing drinking games, and negative drinking game consequences. We examined sex and racial/ethnic differences in behaviors and consequences associated with drinking games in a national sample of White, Hispanic, Black, and Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) student-athletes. A total of 11,839 student-athletes (51.4% women) from 165 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions who endorsed lifetime participation in drinking games completed a confidential online survey. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that being a White (vs. Black or Hispanic) student-athlete was associated with more frequent drinking game participation, and among AAPI and Black (but not White or Hispanic) student-athletes, men played drinking games more frequently than women. Being a Black (vs. White) student-athlete was associated with more drinking game consumption; no sex differences in drinking game consumption were found among Black student-athletes. Among White, AAPI, and Hispanic student-athletes, being a male student-athlete was associated with more drinking game consumption. Finally, female student-athletes had a higher likelihood of experiencing one or more negative consequences from drinking games than did male student-athletes. The association between drinking game participation and negative drinking game consequences was also stronger for women compared with men. Student-athletes are heterogeneous with regard to drinking game behaviors and related consequences. Knowing who is at greatest risk for drinking game participation and related outcomes is an important first step in developing targeted intervention approaches for student-athletes.