Psychology Commons^™

Reasons For Drinking In The College Student Context: The Differential Role And Risk Of The Social Motivator, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Eric R. Pedersen

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Objective

The present study examines the relationships among reasons for drinking, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related consequences in two college-aged samples. Personal motivators such as mood enhancement and coping (tension reduction) have consistently been shown to predict problematic alcohol use, but because of the salient nature of social drinking in college, we hypothesized that social reasons for drinking would be most frequently endorsed and, in turn, predict negative consequences.

Method

Two distinct samples—119 coed adjudicated students sanctioned by the university for violating campus alcohol policy and 106 co-ed volunteer students—completed measures assessing alcohol consumption, reasons for drinking, and consequences. Differential effects …

A Group Motivational Interviewing Intervention Reduces Drinking And Alcohol-Related Negative Consequences In Adjudicated College Women, Joseph W. Labrie, Alysha D. Thompson, Karen Huchting, Andrew Lac, Kevin Buckley

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College students who violate campus alcohol policies (adjudicated students) are at high risk for experiencing negative alcohol-related consequences and for undermining campus life. Further, college women may be especially at risk due to differential intoxication effects and sexual consequences experienced mainly by female students. Research on interventions for adjudicated students, especially adjudicated females, has been limited. One hundred and fifteen college women who received a sanction for violating campus alcohol policies participated in the study. The two hour group intervention focused on female-specific reasons for drinking and included decisional balance, goal setting and other exercises. Participants completed follow-up surveys for …

Female College Drinking And The Social Learning Theory: An Examination Of The Developmental Transition Period From High School To College, Joseph W. Labrie, Karie Huchting, Eric R. Pedersen, Justin F. Hummer, Kristin Shelesky, Summer Tawalbeh

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Problematic drinking among college students remains a national issue with large percentages of college students reporting heavy episodic or binge drinking (Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, & Castillo, 1995) and experiencing severe alcohol-related consequences ranging from poor academic performance, to sexual assault, vandalism, and even death (Hingson, Heeren, Winter, & Wechsler, 2005; Wechsler et al., 2002). According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, 2002), the first 6 weeks on a college campus are critical to first-year student success. However, during these first weeks many students initiate heavy drinking that may interfere …

Partying Before The Party: Examining Prepartying Behavior Among College Students, Eric R. Pedersen, Joseph W. Labrie

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Objective:

The authors examined the phenomenon known to college students as prepartying, which is the consumption of alcohol prior to attending an event or activity (eg, party, bar, concert) at which more alcohol may be consumed.

Participants:

To explore the extent of this behavior, the authors surveyed 227 college students about each drinking event over a 1-month period.

Results:

Principal results revealed that 64% of participants engaged in prepartying (75% of drinkers) and that prepartying is involved in approximately 45% of all drinking events. Prepartying was predictive of more drinking throughout the day of the drinking event and alcohol-related …

Correcting Misperceptions And Reducing Risky Drinking Through A Student-Designed Poster Campaign, Joseph W. Labrie, Eric R. Pedersen, Karie Huchting, Alysha D. Thompson, Justin F. Hummer

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A letter to the editor is presented focusing on correcting misperceptions and reducing risky drinking through a student-designed poster campaign.