Binge drinking and drinking and driving among South Korean international college students in the USA

Abstract

Objective: To investigate two risky behaviours (i.e. binge drinking and drinking and driving) and their individual- and college-level correlates among South Korean international college students in the USA Design: Cross-sectional online survey (student response rate = 41.6%). Setting: South Korean college students ( N = 1201) were recruited from 52 different four-year universities in the USA in 2009. Method: Self-reported binge drinking, drinking and driving, smoking, study-related stress, life dissatisfaction, region lived in, and type of university attended, were assessed using already-validated instruments. Results: A total of 92% of the sample reported at least one occasion of binge drinking in the previous 30 days. Among those who had driven a motor vehicle in the previous 30 days ( n = 950; 79% of the overall sample), 67% had engaged in drinking and driving. Students’ binge drinking was positively associated with current cigarette use and higher levels of life dissatisfaction at college and study-related stress. Students’ drinking and driving was also positively associated with higher levels of life dissatisfaction at college and study-related stress. These relationships were stronger among students attending private institutions than among those attending public institutions. While both college-level correlates (university region and university type) were significantly associated with drinking and driving, none of the college-level correlates were significant in the binge drinking models. Conclusion: A very high proportion of South Korean international students attending colleges in the USA appear to engage in binge drinking and drinking and driving. Development of intervention programmes designed specifically for them is necessary.