ABSTRACT
This study evaluated the relationship between alcohol-related problems and 3 indexes of risky drinking in college student drinkers: number of drinks consumed per week, frequency of binge drinking, and estimated blood alcohol levels (BALs). Use of 2 independent samples (N1 = 204, N2 = 181) allowed a cross-validation of obtained associations. Results indicated that neither binge drinking frequency nor BAL were more highly related to alcohol-related problems than was weekly drinking. Furthermore, BAL did not provide unique explanatory power in accounting for alcohol-related problems; mixed results were obtained regarding the relationship of binge drinking estimates with problems.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/adverse effects , Alcoholic Intoxication/diagnosis , Central Nervous System Depressants/blood , Ethanol/blood , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Adolescent , Adult , Alcohol Drinking/blood , Alcohol-Related Disorders/diagnosis , Alcoholic Intoxication/blood , Female , Humans , Male , Predictive Value of Tests , Reference Values , StudentsABSTRACT
Peer pressure is consistently implicated in the excessive drinking of college students. However, both theory and empirical findings suggest that peer pressure is a combination of three distinct influences: overt offers of alcohol, modeling, and social norms. Overt offers of alcohol can range from polite gestures to intense goading or commands to drink. Modeling occurs when the student's behavior corresponds to another student's concurrent drinking behavior. Perceived social norms can serve to make excessive alcohol use appear common and acceptable to the student. This review critically examines the literature on each form of peer influence and provides suggestions for future research.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Peer Group , Students/psychology , Adult , Attitude , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Social Environment , Social FacilitationABSTRACT
This study consisted of a randomized controlled trial of a 1-session motivational intervention for college student binge drinkers. Sixty students who reported binge drinking 2 or more times in the past 30 days were randomly assigned to either a no-treatment control or a brief intervention group. The intervention provided students with feedback regarding personal consumption, perceived drinking norms, alcohol-related problems, situations associated with heavy drinking, and alcohol expectancies. At 6-week follow-up, the brief intervention group exhibited significant reductions on number of drinks consumed per week, number of times drinking alcohol in the past month, and frequency of binge drinking in the past month. Estimates of typical student drinking mediated these reductions. This study replicates earlier research on the efficacy of brief interventions with college students and extends previous work regarding potential mechanisms of change.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/prevention & control , Motivation , Psychotherapy, Brief/methods , Adolescent , Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic , Female , Humans , Male , Mass Screening/methods , Outcome Assessment, Health Care/methods , Patient Satisfaction , StudentsABSTRACT
In light of widespread concern about alcohol abuse on college campuses, the authors review the empirical literature concerning fraternity drinking published since 1980. The review is structured according to 5 themes that emerge from the literature: (a) the continuity between high school and college drinking, (b) the self-selection of heavy drinkers into environments that support heavy drinking, (c) the central role of alcohol in fraternity socialization, (d) the misperception of drinking norms, and (e) the enabling environment of the fraternity house. The literature is summarized for the benefit of those who wish to better understand the role of alcohol use in the fraternity system.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking , Social Identification , Students , Universities , Humans , Male , Social Desirability , SocializationSubject(s)
Appetite Depressants/adverse effects , Fenfluramine/adverse effects , Heart Valve Diseases/chemically induced , Phentermine/adverse effects , Appetite Depressants/administration & dosage , Diseases in Twins , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Fenfluramine/administration & dosage , Humans , Middle Aged , Phentermine/administration & dosageABSTRACT
The current study sought to test the utility of Herrnstein's (1970) matching law in predicting drug use occurring in the natural environment. Participants were 206 college students. Behavioral allocation was measured across two concurrently available sets of activities: those engaged in while using or under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol (drug related) and those engaged in when drug free. Results from regression analyses indicate that predictions of drug use are improved with the addition of reinforcement received from drug-free activities, which enters the model with a negative coefficient value. The addition of a reinforcement ratio, based on matching law equations, also accounted for unique variance. Results demonstrate the utility of applying behavioral theories of choice to drug use and highlight the importance of viewing behaviors within their broader environmental context.
