College Student Drinking Behavior Research Articles

Exploring the Role of Social Networking Sites in Alcohol Consumption among College Students: Which Platforms Have the Greatest Influence?

ABSTRACT Excessive alcohol use among college students is associated with a host of deleterious physical, mental, and academic outcomes. Social Networking Sites (SNS) are thought to influence norms around alcohol consumption, leading to increased college student drinking. We utilized a sample of 330 college students to investigate the effects of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat on college student drinking behavior. Only Snapchat use was associated with college student drinking even while controlling for confounders such as the amount of time spent on SNS. Interventions attempting to lower college student drinking should focus on Snapchat to have the most effective platform.

Think-Aloud Testing of a Novel Safer Drinking App for College Students During COVID-19: Usability Study.

BackgroundHazardous alcohol consumption, and binge drinking in particular, continues to be common among college students, posing the greatest risk for their health and safety. Despite widespread exposure to evidence-based preventive interventions among US undergraduates, only modest and temporary effects on risky drinking occur. Formative studies have demonstrated that students want a more engaging intervention tool for risky drinking that can be used just in time.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to test the appeal, relevance, and perceived utility of a draft mobile app for safer student drinking at a public university in Virginia.MethodsUndergraduate student participants tested the draft mobile app via a web-based prototype that tailors to individual feedback with hot spots that responded to their taps to mimic app functionality. They narrated their impressions, navigation, and comments in a standardized think-aloud procedure. After each round of think-aloud interviews, researchers debriefed the investigators and developers to discuss findings and brainstorm app modifications.ResultsMinor changes to the functionality and aesthetics would improve usability of the app (eg, option for light mode in app settings). Student testers recommended tailoring the app to the needs of college students and to aspects of the local university’s drinking culture.ConclusionsFindings from this study will be synthesized with information gained from other formative work to determine the final app features. We will test the app in a pilot randomized trial to assess app use and the impact of the app on college student drinking behavior over several months.

Can a pure motivational interviewing intervention be manualized and still efficacious? A test of feasibility and initial efficacy.

The importance of attending to the therapeutic process despite the challenges in manualizing it is demonstrated in the empirical evolution of motivational interviewing (MI). Whereas manuals exist for adaptations of MI, no manual has been developed and tested for MI in its pure form (pure MI). This study evaluated the feasibility and initial efficacy of a pure MI intervention manual - MI for risky social drinking (MI-RSD) - designed to target risky social drinking behaviors in college students with social anxiety. A pilot sample of 42 college students completed measures of alcohol use and mental health symptoms and the MI-RSD intervention. We developed a manual for the 2-session MI-RSD intervention, trained 4 clinical doctoral students, and used observer-, therapist- and participant-completed measures to evaluate fidelity. Therapists met beginner proficiency in MI fidelity and participant gave high ratings of therapist adherence to MI and working alliance, demonstrating intervention feasibility. Also, participants reported significant reductions in hazardous drinking and evaluation fears, but not in social interaction anxiety. We offer preliminary evidence that pure MI can be manualized and effective. Specifically, MI-RSD represents an alternative to MI adaptations in mitigating alcohol-related harm for young adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The influences of family and social factors, and impulsiveness on problematic drinking among college students

Background: Excessive alcohol consumption produces adverse physical and mental health consequences generally, including college and university students. A variety of risk factors the alcohol consumption have been addressed for college students generally, however only a few studies have focused specifically on Chinese college students. This article reports on a study which investigated factors influencing the current situation of Chinese college student alcohol consumption.Methods: A stratified, random-cluster sampling approach was used on 907 students from a Changsha, Hunan university. All participants completed a general information questionnaire, an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scale, a drinking expectations questionnaire, and a Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 questionnaire.Results: It found that 65.2 % students reported consuming alcohol in the prior calendar year that 11.2 % reported hazardous and harmful drinking behaviors. Univariate analysis showed the following significantly associated with the incidence of hazardous and harmful drinking behavior: 1) male older than 20; 2) having monthly living expenses [do you mean an expense allowance as in “income or expenses, outgo?] of more 1,000 Y (OR = 2.855); 3) smoking (OR = 3.490); 4) A mother's neutral attitude to toward child’s alcohol consumption (OR = 1.439); 5) positive peer attitude towards alcohol consumption at college; 6) neutral peer attitude towards alcohol consumption at college; 7) peer rate of alcohol consumption; and, 8) high impulsivity levels.Conclusion: A variety of factors including family, peers, and impulsive personality traits affect college student drinking behavior. Education efforts regarding alcohol-related health and targeted interventions may reduce the college student drinking behavior.

Drinking motives mediate the negative associations between mindfulness facets and alcohol outcomes among college students.

Mindfulness and drinking motives have both been linked to affect regulation, yet the relationship between mindfulness and drinking motives is poorly understood. The present study examined whether drinking motives, particularly mood regulatory motives, mediated the associations between facets of mindfulness and alcohol-related outcomes among college students (N = 297). We found 3 specific facets of mindfulness (describing, nonjudging of inner experience, and acting with awareness) to have negative associations with alcohol outcomes. Importantly, specific drinking motives mediated these associations such that lower levels of mindfulness were associated with drinking for distinct reasons (enhancement, coping, conformity), which in turn predicted alcohol use and/or alcohol problems. Our findings suggest that drinking motives, especially mood regulatory and negative reinforcement motives, are important to examine when studying the role of mindfulness in college student drinking behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record

Social anxiety symptoms and drinking behaviors among college students: the mediating effects of drinking motives.

The impact of social anxiety on negative alcohol-related behaviors among college students has been studied extensively. Drinking motives are considered the most proximal indicator of college student drinking behavior. The current study examined the mediating role of drinking motives in the relationship that social anxiety symptoms have with problematic (alcohol consumption, harmful drinking, and negative consequences) and safe (protective behavioral strategies) drinking behaviors. Participants were 532 undergraduates who completed measures of social anxiety, drinking motives, alcohol use, harmful drinking patterns, negative consequences of alcohol use, and protective behavioral strategy use. Our results show that students with higher levels of social anxiety symptoms who were drinking for enhancement motives reported more harmful drinking and negative consequences, and used fewer protective behavioral strategies. Thus, students who were drinking to increase their positive mood were participating in more problematic drinking patterns compared with students reporting fewer social anxiety symptoms. Further, conformity motives partially mediated the relationship between social anxiety symptoms and negative consequences. Thus, students with more symptoms of social anxiety who were drinking in order to be accepted by their peers were more likely than others to experience negative consequences. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Hosting non-university guests and party-related drinking behaviors of college students

Background: Hosting non-university guests is common among college students, especially during sports and traditional party weekends. However, the effect of non-university guests – a common social reference group – on host-students’ drinking behaviors is not well understood.Method: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional survey conducted at a public Midwestern university (N = 2951; mean age = 20 years) from 2005 to 2007.Results: Participants who hosted non-university guests tended to be younger in age, male, of white racial background, members of athletic teams, had younger ages of drinking onset, and were more likely to reside off-campus as compared to non-hosts. Host students also had significantly elevated risk for engaging in heavy party-related drinking while hosting non-university guests, and were more likely to report similar risky drinking behaviors among other party-attendees.Conclusions: Preliminary evidence from this study suggests that college-based prevention efforts would benefit from specifically targeting students who are more likely to host non-university guests.

Perceived Historical Drinking Norms and Current Drinking Behavior: Using the Theory of Normative Social Behavior as a Framework for Assessment

Social norms are sustained and disseminated, both implicitly and explicitly, through the act of communication. As a result, communication researchers have sought to classify and target normative perceptions to enact social change. In line with this research, the current study investigated whether perceptions of past normative behavior, referred to here as historical norms, were significantly related to current behavior. Using the theory of normative behavior as a guiding framework, two studies were conducted to assess whether college student drinking behavior was related to one of two perceived historical drinking norms measures: historical consumption norms (i.e., the perceived percentage of students who drank over time) and historical tradition norms (i.e., the perception of drinking as a university tradition). Study 1 revealed that although historical consumption norms was not directly related to drinking behavior, it moderated the effect of descriptive norms on drinking behavior (p = .03). A full assessment of the theory of normative social behavior was conducted in study 2 to determine whether perceived historical drinking norms influenced behavior above and beyond both descriptive and injunctive norms. Findings demonstrated that historical tradition norms were significantly related to drinking behavior (p = .001), and marginally moderated the relationship between descriptive norms and drinking behavior (p = .09). These findings offer preliminary evidence in support of measuring perceived historical drinking norms in future campaigns and interventions designed to reduce drinking behavior.

Drinking at college parties: Examining the influence of student host-status and party-location

The present research focuses on the party related drinking behaviors of college students and explores the differences in these behaviors based on students' host status (i.e. party host vs. party attendee). Furthermore, we examine if the differences in party hosts and attendees' drinking behaviors vary as a function of the party location (on-campus vs. off-campus). Multiple regression analyses were conducted using data from 3796 undergraduates at a Midwestern University. Findings revealed a significant interaction between host status and party location, such that student party hosts reported significantly greater drink consumption and related consequences as compared to party attendees, only when the party was organized o ff-campus. For parties organized on-campus, student hosts reported lower drink consumption as compared to attendees. College-based preventive interventions should target students likely to host off-campus parties due to their high risk for involvement in heavy drinking.

Heavy Episodic Drinking in College Students: Associations With Features of Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder

Objective: This study extends the college heavy episodic drinking literature by examining the associations between features of psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), on the one hand, and heavy episodic drinking and associated problem behaviors, on the other. Participants: Participants were 159 (85 male, 74 female) undergraduates from a private university. Methods: Participants completed self-report measures assessing alcohol use, frequency, and consequences of heavy episodic drinking, and personality pathology. Results: It was found that psychopathy, independent of ASPD, was related to the prediction of heavy episodic drinking frequency and problems associated with alcohol use. It was also found that the relation between traits of psychopathy and heavy episodic drinking are limited largely to the impulsive and antisocial aspects of this condition. Conclusion: These findings point to the need for further investigation of the association between psychopathy and ASPD traits and heavy episodic drinking behaviors in college students.

Risk and Protective Factors in Korean College Student Drinking Behavior

우리나라 대학생 대부분은 음주자이며 대학생의 과도한 음주로 인한 사고가 꾸준히 보고되고 있다. 국내에서 대학생을 대상으로 하는 연구는 꾸준히 이루어졌으며 대부분 문제음주에 영향을 미치는 위험요인을 중심으로 진행되어 왔다. 최근에 들어 위험에 노출된 상황에서도 자신의 건강과 안전을 지키고자 하는 의지에 영향을 주는 보호요인을 탐색하고자 하는 노력들이 강조되고 있다. 보호요인은 위험에 노출된 부정적 상황에서도 그 위험으로 인한 영향을 감소시키거나 위험에 대한 반응을 변화시키는 작용을 할 수 있기 때문에 청소년기와 성년초기에 있어서 중요한 역할을 하며, 보호요인을 파악하는 것은 예방과 개입에 대한 보다 포괄적이고 의미 있는 함의를 제공할 수 있다. 본 연구의 목적은 우울증과 성장기 스트레스유발사건경험이 대학생의 문제음주에 영향을 미치는지를 확인하고, 이 관계에서 부모자녀관계가 보호요인으로 작용하는가를 살펴보는 데 있다. 이를 목적으로 전국에 있는 대학생 3,342명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하여 부모자녀관계의 조절효과를 분석한 결과 첫째, 우울증세와 성장기 스트레스유발사건경험은 문제음주에 영향을 미치는 요인으로 확인되었다. 둘째, 부모자녀관계는 우울증세와 문제음주의 관계를 조절하는 보호요인으로 나타났고, 성장기 스트레스사건과 문제음주의 관계에서도 보호요인의 역할을 한다는 것을 보여주었다. 이러한 결과가 대학생을 대상으로 하는 문제음주 예방 및 개입 프로그램에 주는 함의에 대해 논의하였다.

Effects of message framing and temporal context on college student drinking behavior

This study evaluated the interactive effects of message framing and temporal context on college student alcohol use. Participants (n=228) were randomly assigned to read an alcohol prevention message that varied by message frame (gains vs. losses) and temporal context (short- vs. long-term consequences). Participants returned to the lab one month later to report their drinking behavior over the past month. As predicted, students exposed to the gain-framed message reported lower alcohol use (drank less frequently, drank fewer alcoholic beverages per drinking occasion, and engaged in less binge drinking) as compared to students exposed to the loss-framed message, but only if they read about short-term consequences of alcohol use. Message frame had no effect when participants were exposed to long-term consequences. This investigation extends previous research by demonstrating the effectiveness of message framing for reducing health-damaging behaviors and by identifying temporal context as a moderator of framing effects.

Expectancies, evaluations and attitudes: prediction of college student drinking behavior.

The goal of this study was to investigate a model of college student alcohol use that not only included primary demographic and social factors shown to influence college student drinking behavior but also measured the influence of expectancies, evaluations of expectancies, and attitudes in prospectively predicting drinking behavior. Participants (N = 17) were recruited from an introductory psychology course subject pool and were asked to complete several questionnaires, including a modified Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire, an attitude questionnaire and a modified timeline follow-back measure. These measures were completed at baseline and at a 1-month follow-up assessment. The study was then replicated with a separate sample (N = 162). The results of a series of mixed regression analyses indicated that, after accounting for demographic variables, social norms and a college lifestyle attitude variable, the only significant predictor consistent across drinking measures was the general attitude variable. This was true for both the prospective and concurrent analyses of alcohol use. The evaluations of expectancies did account for a significant portion of the variance but appeared secondary to the general attitude measure. The results of the study were replicated in a separate sample. Contrary to previous research, the results of this study suggest that attitudes toward alcohol use account for more variance in predicting drinking behavior than both alcohol expectancies and evaluations of those expectancies. The results of this study are also consistent with findings that evaluations of alcohol-related expectancies predict drinking behavior.

Social anxiety, alcohol expectancies, and drinking-game participation

Few studies have investigated factors contributing to college student participation in drinking games. The extent to which drinking games contribute to negative alcohol-related consequences is uncertain. The current study attempted to (a) clarify the risks posed by drinking-game participation, (b) identify characteristics of heavy drinkers who play frequently and those who seldom play, and (c) determine if students participated in drinking games to reduce anxiety in social situations. Tension reduction alcohol expectancies were examined as a potential moderator variable for the relationship between social anxiety and frequency of play. Drinking games accounted for high proportions of all negative alcohol-related consequences and appeared to be strongly associated with instances of sexual victimization. Contrary to predictions based on the tension reduction hypothesis, greater frequency of play was associated with lower social anxiety, and no moderating effect was found for tension reduction expectancies. Frequent players also had more environmental exposure to drinking games. In men, heavy-drinking players may resemble Clonninger’s Type 1 alcoholic, whereas heavy-drinking nonplayers resemble the Type 2 pattern. A full understanding of college student drinking behavior may not be possible without greater understanding of drinking games.