The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States and results in approximately 79,000 deaths annually. College students are at particular risk of alcohol-related consequences due to their heavy drinking tendencies, with multiple studies indicating over 40%…

Background: Although breast cancer prevention should begin in youth, many young women are not aware of the modifiable lifestyle risk factors for the disease. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to examine the breast cancer-related knowledge, behaviors, and beliefs of young women; to determine whether knowledge about lifestyle risks was…

Examined the alcohol expectancies of college students (N=321) as a function of their drinking pattern and compared expectancies to demographic/background variables for their ability to predict problematic and nonproblematic drinking patterns. Results indicated that alcohol expectancies increase the predictability of college drinking patterns and…

Explores the relationship between alcohol consumption and contraceptive methods used by 364 heterosexually active undergraduate students at a large public university. Twenty-six percent of the respondents reported drinking alcohol before their last sexual encounter. Found that men who combined alcohol and sex were less likely to report that their…

Administered Drug Use Survey to 1,013 college students to determine predictability of self-reported drug use utilizing motivations (social and personal) commonly reported by substance users. Results indicated that personal motivations subscale was stronger predictor in every model examined with exception of model that predicted alcohol use index.…

Compares the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of three measures of excessive drinking. Participants' (N=197) responses indicate that the positive predictive values for the Quantity-Frequency Index (QFI) exceeded those for the binge index. The index produced the highest sensitivity rating, but overestimated the number of…

The relative contribution of social cognitive (alcohol-related outcome expectancies, alcohol-related self-efficacy, norms) and psychosocial factors towards predicting self-reported alcohol consumption were assessed in a sample of 206 college students. Social cognitive variables accounted for 76% of the variance in self-reported alcohol use,…

Research has indicated that alcohol consumption is strongly affected by situational factors, especially social factors. To explore the relevance to drinking of the need for social approval in social situations, 36 male college students were asked to predict how much they would drink in several situations varying in how certain they were of their…

Samples adolescents and college students to examine relative contributions of egocentrism and sensation-seeking to risk-taking behavior. Results indicate a latent factor labeled risk-seeking predicted a latent factor labeled delinquent behavior, primarily indicated by alcohol consumption and delinquency. Other results indicate that consistently…

Examines the utility of a new measure of personal value of alcohol use in predicting intentions to reduce post-college alcohol use. As expected, alcohol consumption quantity/frequency and frequency of consuming five or more drinks per occasion were unrelated to intention to reduce alcohol use after college. The personal value of alcohol measure…

Although research has examined the content of alcohol-outcome expectancies and also the role of alcohol use in aggressive and sexual behaviors, few studies have linked the two lines of inquiry. To examine the efficacy of outcome expectancies for predicting actual behavior, 64 male social drinkers, aged 21 to 25 years, completed questionnaires and,…

Surveyed college students (N=272) and convicted DWI offenders (N=261). The results revealed that DWI offenders tend to drink in their own home, alone, and to relieve stress; whereas college students are more likely to drink at a party, for the enjoyment of taste, and to get drunk. (JAC)

College students (n=200) in 2 university dormitories completed alcohol and drug use survey in fall quarter and 130 students were readministered questionnaire at end of spring quarter after peer-directed alcohol awareness program was implemented in a particular dormitory. Retest results showed no difference in drinking behavior of residents in…

College students (n=713) responded to questions about alcohol effects, their own alcohol use, and their beliefs about risks associated with alcohol use for college students in general and for themselves in particular. Knowledge did not predict reduced use or abuse patterns, nor did perceived risk of abuse for students in general. (Author/ABL)

Examines drinking patterns of female college students and evaluates the contributions of age, sorority membership, emotional pain, and peer acceptance on both frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption. Results indicate that sorority membership and emotional pain were significant predictors of frequency of alcohol consumption; and age, sorority…