College Status Research Articles

Spanish Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana Scale: The Protective Behavioral Strategies for Cannabis Scale (S-PBSC)

AbstractThe Protective Behavioral Strategies for Marijuana scale (PBSM) was initially developed using samples of university students in USA. A community sample of Spanish young adults was recruited to provide the Spanish full-length and short versions of the Protective Behavioral Strategies for Cannabis use (S-PBSC; S-PBSC-SF). We followed a rigorous item-selection process to select the most relevant items from the original 50-item pool developed by Pedersen et al. (2016), on the basis of evidence of reliability, evidence of validity according to the internal structure (factor loadings, invariance across genders and university status, and differential item functioning [DIF]), and evidence of validity based on the relationships between S-PBSC scores and cannabis outcomes. Our findings support a 31-item unidimensional measure and a 13-item short form with excellent fit and internal consistency, invariant across genders and college status and free of DIF. Both the S-PBSC and S-PBSC-SF scores were associated with reduced cannabis use and consequences.

Is the 21st birthday a turning point for alcohol and cannabis use? A monthly study of young adults.

An important life-course event with respect to alcohol and cannabis use is turning 21 years of age, which may be associated with increases in use of these substances due to celebrations during the month and easier access to them on and following this birthday. We examined the trajectories of alcohol and cannabis use behaviors in the months leading up to, during, and following the 21st birthday month. We also examined whether the use trajectories vary by college status and baseline levels of use. We used data from 203 young adults recruited from the Greater Seattle region who turned 21 during the course of the study. Surveys were administered each month for 24 consecutive months. Measures included the typical number of drinks per week for the past month, the frequency of heavy episodic drinking, the number of cannabis use days, and any simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use. Multilevel spline models were run that estimated linear slopes over time at four intervals: (1) up to 1 month before the 21st birthday month; (2) from 1 month before to the month of the 21st birthday; (3) from the 21st birthday month to 1 month following; and (4) from 1 month following the 21st birthday month through all following months. Alcohol use, generally, and simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use showed sharp increases from the month before the 21st birthday month to the 21st birthday month and decreases following the 21st birthday month. For cannabis use, there were significant increases in the months leading up to the 21st birthday and no other significant changes during other time intervals. Patterns differed by baseline substance use and college status. Findings from the current study have implications for the timing and personalization of prevention and intervention efforts. Event-specific 21st birthday interventions may benefit from incorporating content targeting specific hazardous drinking behaviors in the month prior to the 21st birthday.

Simultaneous Substance Use With Alcohol in a Community-Based Sample of Young Adults

Objective: Simultaneous substance use is associated with worse outcomes than concurrent use. Further investigations into simultaneous use are warranted because there is limited knowledge about the co-use of substances other than alcohol and cannabis. Study aims were to examine: (1) the prevalence of simultaneous use of substances with alcohol, (2) the extent to which use patterns are related to key correlates (i.e., psychological functioning, sensation seeking), and (3) differences by college status. Methods: Participants were 623 young adult drinkers who were recruited online to complete a one-time survey. Results: Cannabis (54.3%), tobacco (53.7%), and stimulants (46.5%) were most frequently used with alcohol. Moderation analyses showed the positive association between simultaneous use and psychological distress was stronger for students whereas the positive association with sensation seeking was stronger for nonstudents. Conclusions: Results highlight the need for future research and intervention efforts that consider the link between simultaneous use and psychological wellbeing while acknowledging that educational attainment may differentially influence these factors.

Association of spiritual well-being with quality of life among undergraduate nursing students

Objective: The study was conducted with the aim of determining the spiritual well-being (SWB) of nursing students and its association with quality of life (QOL). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with a sample size of 504 nursing students collected from January 2023 to March 2023 in the nursing institutes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, using convenient sampling techniques. A Spiritual Health and Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) questionnaire for SWB and K-27 QOL (K-27 QOL) instrument were used for data collection that contains three parts. Results: The number of female participants was in the majority (50.4%) compared to male nurses (49.6%). The overall mean score of SWB of the students was 3.79 ± 0.48, while the mean K-27 QOL score was 3.73 ± 0.57. There were significant differences between the groups of gender (P = 0.001), while no significant difference within the groups of semester (P = 0.061) and college status (0.285). In QOL, there were significant differences within the groups of semester (P = 0.000) and college status (P = 0.036) while no significant difference in gender category (P = 0.480). SHALOM score is positively and moderately correlated with QOL score (r = 0.597, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Spiritual practices are one of the important factors that are associated positively with QOL, therefore to enhance the QOL, it will require spiritual practices.

RPS announces proposals to move towards royal college status

RPS announces proposals to move towards royal college status

Normative Perceptions of Peer Drinking Distinguish High-Intensity Drinkers from Other Drinking Groups

Background : High-intensity drinking (HID), or drinking that doubles the binge threshold (i.e., 8+/10+ drinks for women/men), is associated with more negative consequences than binge-only drinking. However, research focusing on HID and factors that may delineate HID from other drinking behaviors is lacking. The present study evaluated if perceived norms for peer drinking behavior (i.e., descriptive norms for alcohol quantity and frequency and injunctive norms) differentiated high-intensity drinkers from other drinker statuses. Further, we evaluated the role of perceived norms on odds of HID engagement and HID frequency. Finally, college status, sex, and underage drinker status were evaluated as moderators of the association between perceived norms and HID status/frequency. Methods : Participants were 623 emerging adult drinkers recruited via Craigslist (68.7% male; 69.0% White). Participants completed an online survey on their drinking behaviors and related social factors. Results : Each domain of perceived norms positively associated with drinker status. Higher perceived norms were associated with greater odds of HID and predicted HID frequency. The association between quantity and frequency descriptive norms and HID engagement was stronger for nonstudents and was only significant for males. Underage drinker status did not moderate associations between perceived norms and HID engagement. Conclusions : Findings provided evidence that perceptions of peer drinking behaviors are strong indicators of HID risk and may be especially useful for identifying high-intensity drinking males and nonstudents. The utility of perceived peer norms to differentiate this group of particularly risky drinkers suggests that social-influence-focused intervention approaches, including norms correction, may be efficacious in targeting HID among emerging adults.

Measuring grit, self-efficacy, curiosity, and intolerance of uncertainty in first-generation college and first-generation osteopathic medical students

BackgroundMedical school is a challenging time, with many medical students reporting symptoms of burnout, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and psychological distress during pre-clinical and clinical years. First-generation college and first-generation medical students may be two groups of students at increased risk for the negative psychosocial effects of medical school. Importantly, grit, self-efficacy, and curiosity are protective factors against the negative psychosocial effects of medical school, whereas intolerance of uncertainty is a risk factor. Thus, research examining the associations among grit, self-efficacy, curiosity, and intolerance of uncertainty in first-generation college and first-generation medical students is needed.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study to assess medical students’ grit, self-efficacy, curiosity, and intolerance of uncertainty. We conducted independent samples t-tests and regression analyses using SPSS statistical software version 28.0.ResultsA total of 420 students participated in the study for a response rate of 51.5%. One-fifth of participants (21.2%, n = 89) identified as first-generation students, 38.6% (n = 162) participants reporting having a physician relative, and 16.2% (n = 68) reported having a physician parent. Grit, self-efficacy, and curiosity and exploration scores did not differ by first-generation college status, physician relative(s), or physician parent(s). However, total intolerance of uncertainty scores differed by physician relative(s) (t= -2.830, p = 0.005), but not by first-generation status, or physician parent(s). Further, subscale scores for prospective intolerance of uncertainty differed by physician relative(s) (t= -3.379, p = 0.001) and physician parent(s) (t= -2.077, p = 0.038), but not by first-generation college student status. In the hierarchical regression models, first-generation college student status and first-generation medical student status were not predictive of grit, self-efficacy, curiosity and exploration, or intolerance of uncertainty, although statistical trends were observed with students with physician relative(s) predicting lower intolerance of uncertainty scores (B= -2.171, t= -2138, p = 0.033) and lower prospective intolerance of uncertainty (B= -1.666, t= -2.689, p = 0.007).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that first-generation college students did not differ by grit, self-efficacy, curiosity, or intolerance of uncertainty. Similarly, first-generation medical students did not differ by grit, self-efficacy, or curiosity; however, first-generation medical students showed statistical trends in higher total intolerance of uncertainty and higher prospective intolerance of uncertainty. Additional research needs to confirm these findings in first-generation medical students.

Live and (Let) Die – Shifting Legitimacies and Organizational Mortality in American Higher Education, 1944–2018

AbstractSociologists of U.S. higher education have emphasized the sector’s historical expansion, which has limited the attention given to the dynamics of organizational closure. Drawing on an original dataset comprising colleges and universities across all sectors and tiers, we show how general expansion is tempered by 354 organizational closures between 1944 and 2018. Closures cluster in time between 1964 and 1974 and after 2008 reflecting shifting causes of and responses to legitimacy loss. Analyses provide support for hypotheses drawn from institutional theory, and, while controlling for a number of variables, identify two main causes of college mortality. These are demographic exclusivity, i.e., women’s and (historically) Black college status, and accreditation. Mortality of exclusionary institutions is further associated with social activism and the system-wide diffusion of related group-differentiated study programs, particularly in the period 1944–1979. By contrast, accreditation becomes more important in the post-1980 period.

Teaching professional skills during the pandemic: Does delivery mode matter?

This study explores how the transition to online course delivery during the pandemic impacted a professional skills course that incorporates in-class and out of class experiential learning activities. We compare student performance on a resume writing assignment, a LinkedIn profile creation assignment, a mock interview with members of local businesses, and overall class scores during Fall 2019 when the professional skills course was delivered face-to-face with student performance during Fall 2020 when the course was delivered online. We explore whether the effect of delivery mode varied as a function of student sex, race and first-generation college status. Our results indicate students performed better on the resume and LinkedIn assignments when the course was delivered online than when it was offered face-to-face, and there was no difference in mock interview or overall class performance. Despite concerns that women, racial minorities and first-generation students could suffer disproportionately in the online version of the course, the relationship between class delivery mode and student performance did not vary as a function of these student characteristics. This is encouraging for institutions interested in offering these courses, and underscores the importance of future research that expands our understanding of when different delivery modes are appropriate.

Initiation of and Escalation to High-Intensity Drinking in Young Adults

High-intensity drinking (HID) (≥10 drinks in a row) is associated with acute negative outcomes. Identifying factors associated with HID initiation in adolescence and how it is associated with young adulthood outcomes can inform screening and prevention. To identify when individuals initiate HID and speed of escalation from first drink and first binge to first HID; characteristics associated with initiation and escalation; and whether these characteristics are associated with weekly alcohol consumption, HID frequency, and symptoms of alcohol use disorder at age 20 years. This cohort study analyzed web-based survey data from respondents in the US who reported alcohol use in the past 30 days recruited from the 2018 12th grade Monitoring the Future study and surveyed again from February 14 through April 17, 2020, at modal age 20 years in the Young Adult Daily Life Study. Only respondents who reported HID by modal age 20 years were included in the analyses. Retrospective alcohol use initiation and self-reported alcohol use measures. Key retrospective measures included year of initiation for alcohol, first binge (≥5 drinks), and HID (≥10 drinks). Measures at age 20 years included weekly alcohol consumption, HID frequency, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores. Covariates included biologic sex, race and ethnicity, parental college education, family history of alcohol problems, and college status. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression models were used, and all analyses were weighted. Of the 451 participants with data eligible for analysis, 62.0% were male (38.0% female). On average, alcohol, binge, and HID were initiated during high school. Mean time of escalation from first drink to first HID was 1.9 (95% CI, 1.8-2.1) years and between first binge and first HID, 0.7 (95% CI, 0.6-0.8) years. Initiating HID by grade 11 (vs later) was associated with higher average weekly alcohol consumption (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR], 1.40; 95% CI, 1.10-1.79]), HID frequency (aIRR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.25-3.22]), and AUDIT score (adjusted odds ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.02-1.34]) at age 20 years. Escalation from first binge to first HID in the same year (vs ≥1 year) was associated with higher HID frequency at age 20 years (aIRR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.06-2.61). These findings suggest that understanding ages and patterns of HID initiation and escalation associated with particular risk may facilitate screening for adolescents and young adults.

Alcohol use contexts (social settings, drinking games/specials, and locations) as predictors of high-intensity drinking on a given day among U.S. young adults.

This study examined whether variability in young adult drinking social settings, drinking games/drink price specials, and locations differentiated daily high-intensity drinking (HID) likelihood; whether contexts varied by legal drinking age and college status (attending a 4-year college full-time); and whether legal drinking age and college status moderated drinking context/intensity associations. Participants (n=818 people, 46.3% female) were part of the Young Adult Daily Life Study in 2019 to 2022. They were originally selected because they were past 30-day drinkers from the 2018 U.S. national probability Monitoring the Future 12th grade sample and because they reported one or more days of alcohol use during 14-day data collection bursts across the following 4 years (n=5080 drinking days). Weighted multilevel modeling was used to estimate drinking context/intensity associations. Drinking intensity was defined as moderate (females 1 to 3, males 1 to 4 drinks), binge (4 to 7, 5 to 9 drinks), or HID (8+, 10+ drinks). Models controlled for other within-person (weekend, historical time period) and between-person (sex and race/ethnicity) covariates. Contexts differentiating HID and binge drinking days included drinking with large groups, strangers, pregaming, drinking games, and more drinking locations. Legal drinking age was associated with lower odds of free drinks but greater odds of drinking at bars/restaurants. College status was associated with lower odds of drinking alone or free drinks, but greater odds of drinking with friends, large groups, pregaming, drinking games, discounted price drinks, and at bars/restaurants, parties, andmore drinking locations. Legal drinking age and college status moderated some context-intensity associations. Social settings, pregaming, drinking games, and drinking at more locations were associated with increased risk of HID on a given day. Legal drinking age and college status were associated with specific drinking contexts and moderated some context/intensity associations. Incorporating the contexts associated with HID into interventions may help to reduce HID and related consequences in young adults.

The environmental attitude of the prospective biology teachers in Indonesia

Environmental attitude should be possessed by students as an effort to manage their relationship with environmental problems. However, there has never been any study on the environmental attitudes of prospective biology teachers in Indonesia. This study aims to discover the environmental attitude of the prospective science teachers throughout Indonesia. This cross-sectional survey study analyzes the aspects of gender, grade point average (GPA), college status, and study status which are positioned as the character of the respondent whose impact on the students’ environmental attitudes are analyzed in this study. The target population size of this study is 1300 people. Thus, based on Krejcie and Morgan Table, the minimum sample size with a confidence level of 95% and margin error of 5% is 1235 students. The data collection instrument used in this study is the Environmental Attitude Inventory/EAI questionnaire which has been validated by bilingual experts and transformed into an online questionnaire by means of Google Form. SPSS software was used to examine the data. The results indicate that there is no significant difference in EA scores based on gender, GPA factor, and university status background. The difference in EA scores is affected by whether or not students have taken courses related to the environment ownership. The researchers believe that it is critical to ensure that the course materials concerning environmental education are properly planned and implemented. Courses should be supplemented with themes on environmental issues ranging from local to global scope.

Measurement invariance of the Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire across college status, race, and childhood SES in a diverse community sample.

The Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (YAACQ) was designed to measure the various domains of alcohol-related problems experienced by emerging adults (EAs), but has primarily been used in college samples and it remains unclear whether the psychometric properties of the YAACQ function similarly in racially and economically diverse populations. The present study assessed the factor structure and evaluated measurement invariance, latent mean differences, and correlates of the 48-item eight-factor YAACQ across college status, race, and childhood socioeconomic status (SES). EAs ages 21.5-25 (N = 602; 57.3% female, 47.0% White, 41.5 % Black, 35.4% noncollege EAs) who consumed 3/4 + alcoholic beverages (for women/men) at least twice in the previous month completed measures of alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences and demographics. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the 48-item eight-factor structure across the entire sample. However, one item related to academic achievement was predictably endorsed by few noncollege EAs and thus, was dropped. Multiple-group CFA demonstrated measurement invariance of a revised 47-item eight-factor YAACQ across college status, race, and childhood SES. Assessment of latent mean differences revealed that noncollege EAs reported more alcohol-related consequences overall, compared to college students, including greater endorsement of severe problem domains. White EAs reported more total alcohol-related consequences relative to Black EAs, and EAs of low childhood SES reported more total alcohol-related consequences compared to those of high childhood SES. Furthermore, all eight alcohol consequence factors demonstrated concurrent associations with weekly alcohol use, binge drinking, and high intensity drinking within each subgroup. Findings suggest that the YAACQ is a psychometrically robust measure of alcohol-related consequences across demographic groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Eating-to-Cope Motives and Uncontrolled Eating as Mediators Between Negative Emotional States and Food Addiction Among Argentinean Young Adults.

Negative emotional states (NES; i.e., depression, anxiety and stress) are likely contributors to the development of food addiction (FA). The association between NES and FA symptoms may be mediated by altered eating behaviors or by eating-to-cope motives. This study examined, in a sample of Argentinean young adults, the association between NES and FA symptoms via eating-to-cope motives and three patterns of eating behaviors. We also examined whether the model was invariant across college status. The transition from high school to college is usually associated with increased exposure to stress, which promotes the probability of engaging in altered eating behaviors. A sample of 499 Argentinean young adults (mean age = 24.9 ± 3.51 years) completed a survey that assessed FA symptoms, eating behaviors (i.e., uncontrolled, emotional, and restrained eating), eating-to-cope motives and NES. A path analysis tested the indirect association between NES and FA symptoms via uncontrolled, emotional or restrained eating, or by eating-to-cope. Stress and depression symptoms were indirectly associated with FA symptoms via uncontrolled eating and eating-to-cope motives. The model was invariant across college status. The findings suggest that NES are associated with FA symptoms by increasing uncontrolled eating and eating-to-cope motives. Young adults exhibiting greater depressive or stress symptoms, higher eating-to-cope, or higher uncontrolled eating may be at risk for FA. Future research should examine the significance of this pattern by tailoring interventions to these characteristics.

Professional Identity Formation Among Diverse U.S. Medical Students: A Quantitative Analysis of the Impact of Socioeconomic Status.

Purpose: Professional identity formation (PIF) is described as “a multifactorial phenomenon, shaped by ways that clinical and non-clinical experiences, expectations and environmental factors merge with individual values, beliefs and obligations.” 1 Data suggest that students’ personal characteristics factor in the PIF process. 2,3 This study examined how socioeconomic status (SES) (measured by generation college status [first-generation college graduate (FCG) vs continuing-generation college graduate (CCG)] and household income [high vs low]) might influence PIF among a national cohort of U.S. medical students. Method: We analyzed cohort data from an existing dataset of deidentified records from the Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire (GQ). 4 The GQ asks 2 questions related to PIF: (1) “My medical school has done a good job of fostering and nurturing my development as a future physician” and (2) “My medical school has done a good job of fostering and nurturing my development as a person.” We used GQ data from academic years 2014–2015 and 2015–2016. Multivariate regression models explored relationships between 4 categories of students’ SES with measures of PIF, controlling for covariates such as sex and race/ethnicity. CCG status was defined as having at least 1 parent/guardian with a bachelor’s degree. FCG status was defined as students with no parent with a bachelor’s degree. Household income was determined using 2 self-reported measures of income status: receipt of state or federal financial assistance, and parental income reported on the Matriculating Student Questionnaire. 5 Students were considered low-income if they indicated that their families were recipient of state/federal financial assistance programs (e.g., Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or if their self-reported parental income was within the lowest 2 quintiles nationally (less than $41,187 for 2014–2015 cohort, and less than $43,512 for 2015–2016 cohort). A 4-level variable SES variable was created to reflect SES: continuing-generation college graduate/high income (CCG/HI), continuing-generation college graduate/low income (CCG/LI), first-generation college graduate/high income (FCG/HI), and first-generation college graduate/low income (FCG/LI). Statistical analyses were performed using STATA16.1. Results: Of the 24,796 students in our sample, 64.4%, 20.9%, 4.2%, and 10.5% identified as CCG/HI, CCG/LI, FCG/HI, and FCG/LI, respectively. CCG/LI respondents were less likely than CCG/HI peers to report that their medical school had done a good job of fostering and nurturing their development as a person (aOR: .79, 95% CI: .74, .85) and that their medical school had done a good job of fostering and nurturing their development as a future physician (aOR: .71, 95% CI: .63, .80). Similarly, FCG/LI respondents were less likely than FCG/HI peers to report that their medical school had done a good job of fostering and nurturing their development as a person (aOR: .85, 95% CI: .78, .94) and that their medical school had done a good job of fostering and nurturing their development as a future physician (aOR: .72, 95% CI: .62, .84). No significant differences were observed between FCG/HI and CCG/HI respondents on either aspect of PIF. Discussion: Our study illuminates nuances in PIF and provides new knowledge that, regardless of college graduate generation status, students who self-identified as being from low-income backgrounds were less likely than their high-income peers to report that their medical schools were doing a good job fostering personal and professional identity formation. Significance: These results reinforce that understanding the PIF experiences of diverse groups of medical trainees is critical to advance equity. More attention must be paid to the experiences of low-income students to ensure that they are and feel supported in their professional development and leave medical school equipped to thrive in their subsequent careers.

Teaching Professional Skills During the Pandemic: Does Delivery Mode Matter?

The current study explores how the transition to online course delivery during the pandemic impacted a professional skills course which incorporates a variety of in-class and out of class experiential learning activities. In this paper, we compare student performance on a resume writing assignment, a LinkedIn profile creation assignment, a mock interview with members of local businesses and overall class scores during Fall 2019 when the professional skills course was delivered face-to-face with student performance during Fall 2020 when the course was delivered online. We explore whether the effect of delivery mode varied as a function of student sex, race and first-generation college status. Our results indicate that there were some significant differences in student performance across the two semesters. Students performed better on the resume and LinkedIn assignments when the course was delivered online. There was no difference in mock interview performance across the two class delivery modes. Students taking the online version of the course in Fall 2020 did significantly worse in the course overall than students taking the face-to-face version of the course in Fall 2019. Despite concerns that women, racial minorities and first-generation students could suffer disproportionately in the online version of the course, the relationship between class delivery mode and student performance did not vary as a function of these student characteristics. This underscores the importance of future research which can help to identify changes that can be made to online courses to assist students.

Into the Unknown: Experiences of Social Newcomers Entering Medical Education.

Amid efforts to diversify the medical profession, research has yet to fully explore the role of early social ties to the field. This study examined diversity through the experiences of students without early ties to medicine through family members working in health care (i.e., "newcomers") in comparison with more-connected peers (i.e., "insiders"), examining how social newcomers to medicine negotiate challenges stemming from their outsider status. The author conducted an exploratory qualitative study from 2018 to 2021 using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Following a voluntary preliminary survey of 2 cohorts of first-year medical students about their social connections in health care, the author conducted interviews over the next 2 years with students who had indicated their willingness to participate. Interviews addressed how social context shaped-and continued to influence-their journeys into medicine. Eighty second- and third-year students participated in 94 interviews, including some follow-up interviews for longitudinal insight into outsider status. Interviews from the second year (58 new, 14 follow-up) provided the foundation of the qualitative results. Students experienced outsider status primarily on the basis of being newcomers to medicine, often compounded by intersectional characteristics, including first-generation college status, rural or low-income background, race or ethnicity, and nontraditional status. For some, an early shortage of social capital became internalized, continuing to influence confidence and belonging well into training, in line with social reproduction theory. However, newcomers also experienced benefits associated with diverse backgrounds which helped them find a sense of belonging in medicine, as suggested by community cultural wealth and antideficit perspectives. Newcomer status proved to be a central cause of outsiderness for students from all backgrounds and warrants greater attention from stakeholders, perhaps mirroring the undergraduate focus on first-generation college-goers. Findings suggest institutions that provide robust networking and community-building opportunities are best positioned to support newcomers.

Playing Drinking Games as a Typical Form of Prepartying among Young Adults

Prepartying, or drinking prior to going out, and playing drinking games (DG) can increase young adults’ risk of heavy alcohol consumption. In the present study, we examined whether playing DG as a typical form of prepartying can increase alcohol consumption risk when compared with prepartying alone or with friends, and whether the type of DG played while prepartying can increase this risk. Participants consisted of young adults from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (N = 482, M age=22.56, 44.2% women, 74.3% White, 62.7% were current college students) who played a DG within the past month and completed an anonymous online survey about their prepartying and DG behaviors. Results indicated that team games (e.g. beer pong) are the most commonly played type of DG while prepartying. Controlling for alcohol use on drinking occasions when DGs were not played, gender, and college status, those who played DG as a form of prepartying (n = 163) consumed more alcohol while prepartying than those who prepartied alone or with friends. Finally, those who played card games (e.g. Kings) while prepartying also consumed more preparty drinks than those who do not typically play card games. Implications for prevention and intervention as well as future research directions are briefly discussed.

Alcohol use and the COVID-19 pandemic: Historical trends in drinking, contexts, and reasons for use among U.S. adults

ObjectiveThe current study used U.S. national data to examine drinking trends prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, focusing on changes in U.S. young- and middle-adult alcohol prevalence, frequency, and drinking contexts and reasons, and whether they differed by age and college status. MethodsData from 2015 to 2020 from 16,987 young adults (ages 19–30) and 23,584 middle adults (ages 35–55) in the national Monitoring the Future study were used to model historical trends and potential 2020 shifts (data collection April 1 to November 30, 2020) in prevalence (30-day, daily, binge drinking) and frequency (30-day, binge drinking). For young adults, data on drinking contexts and negative affect reasons for drinking were examined. Moderation by age and college status was also tested. Results2020 was associated with (1) downward deviation in 30-day (young and middle adults) and binge drinking (young adults) prevalence; (2) upward deviation in daily drinking prevalence (middle adults); (3) among drinkers, upward deviation in frequency of 30-day (young and middle adults) and binge drinking (young adults); and (4) changes in drinking contexts and reasons among drinkers. Among college students, in particular, 2020 was associated with a downward deviation from expected historical trends in drinking prevalence. Upward deviations in daily prevalence and both binge and 30-day drinking frequency were stronger at ages 25–30 (vs. 19–24) and 35–45 (vs. 50–55). ConclusionsAmong U.S. young and middle adults, deviations from expected historical trends in population alcohol use that occurred during the pandemic included decreases in alcohol use prevalence, increases in alcohol use frequency, and increases in the use of alcohol to relax/relieve tension and because of boredom. These shifts were likely due, in part, to drinking while alone and at home—which increased during the pandemic.

Are the Developmental Features of Emerging Adulthood Associated with Willingness to Engage in Consensually Nonmonogamous Relationships?

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the developmental features of emerging adulthood were associated with willingness to engage in consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships. All participants (N = 792) were English speaking emerging adults (ages 18-25) residing in the USA. About half were attending college, whereas the other half had no college experience. After controlling for a number of variables (i.e., college status, sex/gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity exploration, sexual identity commitment, and casual sex attitudes), greater perceptions of emerging adulthood as a time of identity exploration and feeling in between were negatively associated with willingness to engage in CNM relationships. Also, greater perceptions of emerging adulthood as a time of experimentation/possibilities was positively associated with willingness to engage in CNM. Although our final model explained 33.5% of the variance in willingness to engage in CNM relationships, perceptions of the developmental features of emerging adulthood accounted for just 4.2% of the variance explained. Future research on CNM relationships and relationship education for emerging adults are discussed.