Psychology Commons^™

Pnf 2.0? Initial Evidence That Gamification Can Increase The Efficacy Of Brief, Web-Based Personalized Normative Feedback Alcohol Interventions, Sarah C. Boyle, Andrew M. Earle, Joseph W. Labrie, Daniel J. Smith

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Gamified interventions exploit the motivational characteristics of a game in order to provide prevention information and promote behavior change. Despite the modest effect sizes observed in increasingly popular web-based personalized normative feedback (PNF) alcohol interventions for college students, previous research has yet to consider how gamification might be used to enhance efficacy. This study examines whether a novel, gamified PNF intervention format, which includes a point-based reward system, the element of chance, and personal icons to visually represent users, is more effective in reducing short-term alcohol use than the standard web-based style of PNF currently used on college campuses. Two-hundred …

A Multi-Site Randomized Trial Of Normative Feedback For Heavy Drinking: Social Comparison Versus Social Comparison Plus Correction Of Normative Misperceptions, Clayton Neighbors, Melissa A. Lewis, Joseph W. Labrie, Angelo M. Dibello, Chelsie M. Young, Dipali V. Rinker, Dana Litt, Lindsey M. Rodriguez, C. Raymond Knee, Ezekiel Hamor, Jessica M. Jerabeck, Mary E. Larimer

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Objective

Given widespread alcohol misuse among college students, numerous intervention programs have been developed, including personalized normative feedback (PNF). Most research evaluating PNF assumes that presenting one's own perceived norms is necessary to correct normative misperceptions and thereby reduce drinking. Alternatively, simply providing social comparison information showing that one drinks more than others may be sufficient. The present study evaluated the efficacy of full PNF (one's own drinking, campus drinking rates, and perceived norms) and a partial personalized social comparison feedback (PSCF; one's own drinking and campus drinking rates) in a randomized trial among heavy-drinking college students.

Method

Participants included …

Trajectories Of Alcohol Use And Consequences In College Women With And Without Depressed Mood, Shannon Kenney, Caitlin C. Abar, Kimberly O'Brien, Gabrielle Clark, Joseph W. Labrie

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College students with depressed mood face heightened risk for experiencing drinking-related negative consequences. However, few studies have examined prospective patterns of alcohol consequences among depressed students. In the present investigation, we assessed how first-year college women’s trajectories of heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol consequences differed as a function of depressed mood at college entry. Participants were 233 heavy drinking incoming first-year college females (61% White) at a mid-sized west coast university. Participants completed an online baseline survey, attended a single brief group intervention session, and completed 1- and 6-month post-intervention follow-up surveys. Depressed mood, alcohol consumption, and alcohol consequences …

What Are Other Parents Saying? Perceived Parental Communication Norms And The Relationship Between Alcohol-Specific Parental Communication And College Student Drinking, Lucy Napper, Justin F. Hummer, Andrew Lac, Joseph W. Labrie

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This study examined parents’ normative perceptions of other college parents’ alcohol-specific communication, and how parents’ perceived communication norms and alcohol-specific communication relate to student drinking outcomes. A sample of 457 student-parent dyads were recruited from a mid-size university. Students completed web-based assessments of alcohol-related attitudes and behaviors. Parents completed alcohol-specific measures of communication norms and parent-child communication, including communication content (i.e., targeted communication) and frequency of communication. Results indicated that parents overestimated how much other parents talked to their college students about the frequency and quantity of alcohol use, but underestimated how often parents initiated conversations about alcohol. In a …

A Cross-Lagged Panel Model Examining Protective Behavioral Strategies: Are Types Of Strategies Differentially Related To Alcohol Use And Consequences?, Lucy E. Napper, Shannon R. Kenney, Andrew Lac, Leslie J. Lewis, Joseph W. Labrie

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Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are skills that can be used to reduce the of risk alcohol-related negative consequences. Studies have shown that, in general, PBS are related to less alcohol consumption and fewer negative consequences; however, other studies have suggested that not all types of PBS (e.g., stopping/limiting drinking [SLD], manner of drinking [MOD] and serious harm reduction [SHR]) are equally effective at reducing alcohol risk. In addition, few studies have explored the longitudinal relationships among PBS, alcohol use and consequences. Using a sample of heavy drinking college students (N = 338), the current study examined PBS use, alcohol consumption …

Use Of Protective Behavioral Strategies And Reduced Alcohol Risk: Examining The Moderating Effects Of Mental Health, Gender And Race, Shannon R. Kenney, Joseph W. Labrie

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Recent research indicates that protective behavioral strategies (PBS)—previously established as effective self-regulating tools for reducing alcohol risk among college students—may be especially useful for students with poor mental health, who are shown to be at heightened risk for alcohol-related harm. The current study examined the moderating influence of mental health (depression and anxiety severity), gender, and race (White, Asian) in the relationship between PBS use and alcohol-related negative consequences. Participants were 1,782 undergraduate students from two West Coast universities who reported past month incidence of heavy episodic drinking. Students reported on their drinking, experience of alcohol-related consequences, use of PBS, …

Rct Of Web-Based Personalized Normative Feedback For College Drinking Prevention: Are Typical Student Norms Good Enough?, Joseph W. Labrie, Melissa A. Lewis, David C. Atkins, Clayton Neighbors, Cheng Zheng, Shannon R. Kenney, Lucy E. Napper, Theresa Walter, Jason R. Kilmer, Justin F. Hummer, Joel Grossbard, Tehniat M. Ghaidarov, Sruti Desai, Christine M. Lee, Mary E. Larimer

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Objectives

Personalized normative feedback (PNF) interventions are generally effective at correcting normative misperceptions and reducing risky alcohol consumption among college students. However, research has yet to establish what level of reference group specificity is most efficacious in delivering PNF. This study compared the efficacy of a web-based PNF intervention employing eight increasingly-specific reference groups against a Web-BASICS intervention and a repeated-assessment control in reducing risky drinking and associated consequences.

Method

Participants were 1663 heavy drinking Caucasian and Asian undergraduates at two universities. The referent for web-based PNF was either the typical same-campus student, or a same-campus student at one (either …

Event-Specific Risk And Ecological Factors Associated With Prepartying Among Heavier Drinking College Students, Justin F. Hummer, Lucy Napper, Phillip E. Ehret, Joseph W. Labrie

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Using event-specific data, the present study sought to identify relevant risk factors and risky drinking patterns associated with prepartying. Analyses focused on drinking outcomes as a function of drinking game playing and the social context on occasions where prepartying did and did not occur. This research utilized a representative two-site sample of prepartiers who also reported a heavy episodic drinking event in the past month (n = 988). Results revealed that during a preparty event, participants drank significantly more, reached higher blood alcohol levels (BALs), and experienced significantly more negative consequences compared to the last occasion that they drank but …

I Can Play All Night: Examining The Relationship Between Perceived Tolerance And Drinking Game Alcohol Consumption, Phillip J. Ehret, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer

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The present study examined the impact of perceived tolerance to alcohol on maximum alcohol consumption while playing drinking games. Participants were student drinkers (N=3,546) from two west coast universities. Among these students, 69.2% (n=2,290) reported playing a drinking game in the past month. Analyses demonstrated game players had higher perceived tolerances, and consumed more alcohol than non-game players. A regression model revealed that higher levels of perceived tolerance were related to increased maximal alcohol consumption while playing drinking games. Study limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Predicting Driving After Drinking Over Time Among College Students: The Emerging Role Of Injunctive Normative Perceptions, Joseph W. Labrie, Lucy E. Napper, Tehniat M. Ghaidarov

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Objective:

Despite prevention efforts, driving after drinking (DAD) is a prevalent high-risk behavior among college students and is a leading cause of death and injury. Examination of factors predicting future DAD behavior is necessary to develop efficacious targeted interventions to reduce this behavior among college students. The current study evaluated demographic, social cognitive, and behavioral predictors of DAD using longitudinal data.

Method:

Participants were 655 nonabstaining college students (67.2% female; 60.3% White; Mage = 19.3 years) who completed online surveys at two time points 12 months apart.

Results:

Results revealed that participants consistently overestimated their peers’ approval (injunctive norms) …

Prevalence, Social Contexts, And Risks For Prepartying Among Ethnically Diverse College Students, Andrew P. Paves, Joseph W. Labrie, Eric R. Pedersen, Justin F. Hummer, Joseph W. Labrie

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Prepartying, also known as pre-gaming, has emerged as a high-risk drinking event among U.S. college students. Research on factors related to prepartying behavior is in its relative infancy. The present study provides prevalence rates for prepartying across ethnic groups and examines how social context (whether prepartying took place with primarily male, female, or coed groups) and demographic factors may influence prepartying behavior. Participants were students from two West Coast universities (N = 2,546) whom identified as White, Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA), Hispanic/Latino(a), or African American. The percentage of students who reported prepartying at least once in the …

Estimates And Influences Of Reflective Opposite-Sex Norms On Alcohol Use Among A High-Risk Sample Of College Students: Exploring Greek-Affiliation And Gender Effects, Justin F. Hummer, Joseph W. Labrie, Andrew Lac, Ashley Sessoms, Jessica Cail

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Reflective opposite sex norms are behavior that an individual believes the opposite sex prefers them to do. The current study extends research on this recently introduced construct by examining estimates and influences of reflective norms on drinking in a large high-risk heterosexual sample of male and female college students from two universities. Both gender and Greek-affiliation served as potential statistical moderators of the reflective norms and drinking relationship. All participants (N = 1790; 57% female) answered questions regarding the amount of alcohol they believe members of the opposite sex would like their opposite sex friends, dates, and sexual partners …

Global Sleep Quality As A Moderator Of Alcohol Consumption And Consequences In College Students, Shannon R. Kenney, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Andy T. Pham

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The authors examined the relationship between global sleep quality and alcohol risk, including the extent to which global sleep quality moderated the relationship between alcohol use and drinking-related consequences. Global sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and alcohol-related consequences were assessed using the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI). The sample consisted of 261 college students (61.3% female, 58.2% Caucasian) who completed online surveys. Using a four-step hierarchical multiple regression model, global sleep quality was found to predict alcohol consequences, over and above assessed covariates (demographics and weekly drinking). Further, global sleep quality emerged as a …

Examining The Relationships Between Acculturation Orientations, Perceived And Actual Norms, And Drinking Behaviors Of Short-Term American Sojourners In Foreign Environments, Eric R. Pedersen, Rick A. Cruz, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer

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As little research has examined factors influencing increased and heavy drinking behavior among American sojourners abroad, this study was designed to examine how acculturation orientations (i.e., separation versus assimilation), host country per capita drinking rates, and perceptions about the drinking behavior among other sojourners and natives in the host country predicted alcohol risk abroad. A sample of 216 American college students completing study abroad programs completed a pre-abroad questionnaire to document their pre-abroad drinking levels, followed by a post-return questionnaire to assess drinking while abroad, acculturation orientations and perceived norms of drinking behavior within the foreign environment. A dichotomous variable …

“This Would Be Better Drunk”: Alcohol Expectancies Become More Positive While Drinking In The College Social Environment, Joseph W. Labrie, Sean Grant, Justin F. Hummer

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The current study examined whether drinking and/or presence in the college social environment led to augmented positive alcohol expectancies among college students (N = 225). Participants were approached during popular drinking nights as they exited events at which alcohol was consumed or in front of their residence as they returned home. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included an assessment of demographics, breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), and positive expectancies. Within 48 hours of baseline assessment, participants received via email a follow-up survey that re-assessed positive expectancies while sober. Positive sexual expectancies were more strongly endorsed while drinking in the …

Identifying Factors That Increase The Likelihood Of Driving After Drinking Among College Students, Joseph W. Labrie, Shannon R. Kenney, Tehniat Mirza, Andrew Lac

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Driving after drinking (DAD) is a serious public health concern found to be more common among college students than those of other age groups or same-aged non-college peers. The current study examined potential predictors of DAD among a dual-site sample of 3,753 (65% female, 58% Caucasian) college students. Results showed that 19.1% of respondents had driven after 3 or more drinks and 8.6% had driven after 5 or more drinks in the past three months. A logistic regression model showed that male status, fraternity or sorority affiliation, family history of alcohol abuse, medium or heavy drinking (as compared to light …

Protective Behavioral Strategies Mediate The Effect Of Drinking Motives On Alcohol Use Among Heavy Drinking College Students: Gender And Race Differences, Joseph W. Labrie, Andrew Lac, Shannon R. Kenney, Tehniat Mirza

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Objective

This study examined the extent to which protective behavioral strategies (PBS) mediated the influence of drinking motives on alcohol consumption, and if these hypothesized relationships were corroborated across subsamples of gender and race.

Method

Online surveys were completed by 1592 heavy drinking college undergraduates from two universities (49.9% male and 50.1% female; 76.9% Caucasian and 23.1% Asian). Independent samples t-tests compared males and females as well as Caucasians and Asians on measures of drinking motives, PBS use, and alcohol consumption, and structural equation models examined the mediating role of PBS.

Results

Consistent with predictions, t-tests revealed that males reported …

Identifying Factors That Increase The Likelihood For Alcohol-Induced Blackouts In The Prepartying Context, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Shannon Kenney, Andrew Lac, Eric Pedersen

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The present study examined risk factors related to “blacking out” (e.g., temporary periods of memory loss during drinking) during preparty drinking events (i.e., pregaming, predrinking). Participants were students from two universities on the West Coast who reported past month prepartying (N = 2,546) in online surveys administered in the fall of 2008. Among these students, 25% (n = 636) reported blacking out during at least one occasion in which they prepartied in the past month. A logistic regression model underscored that Greek student affiliation, family history of alcohol abuse, frequency of prepartying, and both playing drinking games and …

Sexual Experience And Risky Alcohol Consumption Among Incoming First-Year College Females, Joseph W. Labrie, Shannon R. Kenney, Savannah Millbury, Andrew Lac

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This study examines the relationship between sexual experience and various drinking measures in 550 incoming first-year college females. During this transition period, sexually experienced participants reported stronger alcohol expectancies and endorsed higher drinking motives, and drank more frequently and in greater quantities than sexually inexperienced participants. Sexual status was also a significant predictor of alcohol-related nonsexual consequences, over and above amount consumed. Furthermore, controlling for drinking, sexual status moderated the relationship between coping motives and consequences. Among women who endorsed strong coping motives for drinking, sexual experience was linked to greater nonsexual alcohol-related consequences. Implications for prevention and intervention are …

Heavier Drinking American College Students May Self-Select Into Study Abroad Programs: An Examination Of Sex And Ethnic Differences Within A High-Risk Group, Eric R. Pedersen, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Mary E. Larimer, Christine M. Lee

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As with other heavier drinking groups, heavier drinking American college students may self-select into study abroad programs with specific intentions to use alcohol in the foreign environment. This cross-sectional study used a sample of 2144 students (mean age = 20.00, SD = 1.47) to explore differences in alcohol use and related negative consequences among (1) students intending to study abroad while in college, (2) students not intending to study abroad, and (3) students reporting prior study abroad participation. Results revealed that participants with no intention to study abroad drank less and experienced fewer alcohol-related consequences than participants intending to study …

An Examination Of Prepartying And Drinking Game Playing During High School And Their Impact On Alcohol-Related Risk Upon Entrance Into College, Shannon R. Kenney, Justin F. Hummer, Joseph W. Labrie

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Prepartying and drinking game playing are associated with excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related negative consequences in college populations; however, research exploring the prevalence of these high risk drinking contexts among high school students, and how such engagement may impact both high school and subsequent college drinking risk, is lacking. The current study, which is the first study to assess prepartying during high school, examined how engaging in either prepartying or drinking game playing during high school was associated with risky high school drinking as well asalcohol use and consequences during the transitional first month of college. The study involved 477 …

Group Identification As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Perceived Social Norms And Alcohol Consumption, Clayton Neighbors, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Melissa A. Lewis, Christine M. Lee, Sruti Desai, Jason R. Kilmer, Mary E. Larimer

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Previous research has shown that social norms are among the strongest predictors of college student drinking. Among college students, perceiving that “others” drink heavier relative to themselves has been strongly and consistently associated with heavier drinking. Research has also shown that the more specifically “others” are defined, the stronger the association with one’s own drinking. The present research evaluated whether group identification as defined by feeling closer to specific groups moderates the associations between perceived drinking norms in the group and one’s own drinking. Participants included 3752 (61% Female) students who completed online assessments of their perceived drinking norms for …

College Students’ Perceptions Of Class Year-Specific Drinking Norms, Eric R. Pedersen, Clayton Neighbors, Joseph W. Labrie

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The current study documents and examines college students’ perceptions of the drinking behavior of peers from varying class years (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior). A sample of 522 college students estimated the drinking behavior of peers within their own specific class year, as well as across the three other class years. Participants in each class year overestimated the drinking of students in their own class year as well as the drinking of students in the three other class years. These within class year-specific perceived norms associated with drinking for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Poisson regression analyses revealed freshmen and …

Disparity Between The Perceived Alcohol-Related Attitudes Of Parents And Peers Increases Alcohol Risk In College Students, Jessica Cail, Joseph W. Labrie

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Although peer norms have been found to be a particularly strong correlate of alcohol consumption by college students, research suggests that parents also have a significant impact on the behaviors of their children, even after their child has departed for college. The current study investigated the effect of disparity between the perceived approval of alcohol (injunctive norms) of parents and closest friends on college student drinking and consequences, and explored gender differences in this effect. It found that injunctive disparity was significantly correlated with individual drinking and related consequences over and above the strongest known predictor variables of gender, same-sex …

The Prognostic Power Of Normative Influences Among Ncaa Student-Athletes, Justin F. Hummer, Joseph W. Labrie, Andrew Lac

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This study evaluated the predictive power of perceived descriptive and injunctive norms on intercollegiate student-athlete alcohol consumption and attitudes toward drinking-related behaviors. The sample consisted of 594 NCAA student-athletes from two geographically opposite sites. Norms variables utilized a school and gender-specific athletic peer reference group. Results indicate that respondents reported greater perceived injunctive norms than actual attitudes, and greater perceived descriptive norms than actual alcohol use. Further, after accounting for demographics and alcohol motivations, perceived injunctive norms were the strongest predictors of athletes' attitudes with the final model explaining 54% of the variance. Similarly, perceived descriptive norms were among the …

What Men Want: The Role Of Reflective Opposite-Sex Normative Preferences In Alcohol Use Among College Women, Joseph W. Labrie, Jessica Cail, Justin F. Hummer, Andrew Lac, Clayton Neighbors

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Misperceptions of peer drinking norms have been found to be strongly associated with individual drinking behavior, especially for proximal reference groups such as same-sex friends. Less studied are the effects of perceived preferences from the opposite sex on alcohol use; that is, the behaviors an individual believe the opposite sex prefers from them. Research suggests that these perceived “reflective” normative preferences may be particularly salient among college women, who may drink in pursuit of intimate relationships and positive attention from male peers. Heterosexual undergraduate students from two universities participated in this project. Females answered questions regarding the amount of alcohol …

A Night To Remember: A Harm-Reduction Birthday Card Intervention Reduces High-Risk Drinking During 21st Birthday Celebrations, Joseph W. Labrie, Savannah Migliuri, Jessica Cail

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Objective

In collaboration with Residence Life, the Heads UP research team developed a 21st birthday card program to help reduce the risky drinking often associated with these celebrations.

Participants

81 students (28 males, 53 females) completed a post-21st birthday survey. Of these, 74 reported drinking during their 21st birthday and were included in the analyses.

Methods

During the 2005–2006 school year, the authors assigned students celebrating 21st birthdays to either receive an alcohol risk-reduction birthday card or to a no-card condition. The students completed a survey after their birthday.

Results

Students who received the card consumed fewer drinks and reached …

Changes In Drinking Patterns Across The Transition To College Among First-Year College Males, Joseph W. Labrie, Toby Lamb, Eric Pedersen

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Few studies examine changes in drinking behavior during the transition from high school to college. Using a sample of 239 first-year males, we hypothesized that participants would increase drinking from pre-college to the first month of college. Results reveal a general trend toward increased drinking upon entering college. Caucasians increased drinking more than non-Caucasians. Social expectancies of alcohol moderated increases in drinking behavior. These findings indicate that differential changes in drinking behavior occur among incoming college males. Interventions with college students need to address both preventing heavy consumption and alcohol-related problems in pre-college light drinkers and in reducing these behaviors …

A Brief Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index With Less Potential For Bias, Mitch Earleywine, Joseph W. Labrie, Eric R. Pedersen

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The Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI), a popular measure of alcohol-related problems in adolescents, varies with many theoretically-relevant measures of individual differences, including sex. The sex differences in RAPI scores fit many models of alcohol problems but could also arise from biased items. In addition, a short form could increase the scale’s utility. The current study examined RAPI scores, an additional inventory of problem drinking, and measures of alcohol consumption in over 2,000 college student drinkers. Analyses revealed items that functioned differentially for men and women. Dropping these items created a shorter scale with almost identical psychometric properties but less …

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 …