An Examination of Risky Drinking Behaviors and Motivations for Alcohol Use in a College Sample

Objective: The current study examined (1) drinking motives as a mediator of risky drinking behaviors (ie, pregaming and drinking games) and alcohol-related problems and (2) whether gender moderates the association between risky drinking behaviors and negative consequences. Participants: Participants...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of American college health Vol. 61; no. 8; pp. 444 - 452
Main Authors Sheehan, Brynn E., Lau-Barraco, Cathy, Linden, Ashley N.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Taylor & Francis Group 2013
Routledge
Taylor & Francis Inc
Subjects
Adaptation, Psychological
Addictive Behavior
Adolescent
Adult
Alcohol
Alcohol Abuse
alcohol consequences
Alcohol consumption
Alcohol Drinking - psychology
Alcohol related problems
Alcohol use
college students
Consequences
Correlation
Drinking
Drinking games
drinking motives
Female
Games
Gender
Gender Differences
Humans
Intervention
Male
Motivation
pregaming
Risk
Risk assessment
Risk-Taking
Self Disclosure (Individuals)
Social Behavior
Social Environment
Sports
Student Attitudes
Student Behavior
Students - psychology
Undergraduate Students
United States (East)
Universities
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Summary:Objective: The current study examined (1) drinking motives as a mediator of risky drinking behaviors (ie, pregaming and drinking games) and alcohol-related problems and (2) whether gender moderates the association between risky drinking behaviors and negative consequences. Participants: Participants (N = 368; 68% female) were drinkers aged 18 to 25. Data were collected from September to November 2010 and January to May 2011. Methods: Participants completed measures regarding typical pregaming and drinking game alcohol consumption, drinking motives, and alcohol-related consequences. Results: Social, coping, and enhancement motives partially explained relationships, with enhancement motives explaining the most variance for pregaming (31%) and drinking games (44%). Relationships between risky drinking and consequences were not moderated by gender. Conclusions: Drinking to enhance positive affect may be the most salient motivation for drinking related to pregaming and drinking games for college drinkers. Findings have implications for interventions tailored to students engaging in various heavy drinking practices.
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ISSN:0744-8481
1940-3208
DOI:10.1080/07448481.2013.831352