Aim: To provide more in-depth information about students' experiences with AlcoholEdu and in particular to assess if students perceive that the course gives them tools to better control their drinking-related behavior. Methods: Focus group interviews with freshmen at three California universities. Findings: 1) The course provides so much…

This study examined estimation and accuracy of normative perceptions for students during one celebratory drinking occasion. Students who drank on St. Patrick's Day overestimated the percentage of others who also drank, whereas the students who did not drink on St. Patrick's Day underestimated the percentage of others who also did not drink. The…

Many students view the abuse of alcohol as integral to the student role. Thus, they feel entitled to drink heavily without sanction. OLS regression was used to assess the extent to which these beliefs about alcohol and the college experience moderate the effects of descriptive and injunctive campus drinking norms on students' levels of alcohol…

Disordered eating behaviors and substance use are two risk factors for the development of serious psychopathology and health concerns in adulthood. Despite the negative outcomes associated with these risky behaviors, few studies have examined potential associations between these risk factors as they occur during adolescence. The importance of…

This article examines the role of message-induced state empathy in persuasion. Message-induced empathy is conceptualized as a perception-action process that consists of affective, cognitive, and associative components. Twenty professionally produced public service announcements (PSAs) were used as stimuli messages in a 2 (high vs. low empathy) x 2…

College student-athletes comprise a special group on the college campus owing to their dual roles as students and athletes. Although many positives are associated with being a student-athlete, researchers have found that this population is faced with unique academic, physical, and social stressors that put student-athletes at greater risk for…

Researchers have established that alcohol is a risk factor for date rape for both victims and perpetrators. Objective: The authors tried to experimentally address the link between alcohol consumption and women's risk detection abilities in a risky sexual vignette. Participants: The authors recruited 42 women from undergraduate classrooms at a…

Examined whether a difference exists between perceived and actual use of alcohol by college student athletes (N=290). Found students accurately perceived response of others but failed to perceive the overall level of alcohol use reflected by the distribution of responses. (Author/ABL)

Reports the impact of a two-theme, multimedia responsible alcohol use campaign for a college campus. Measures of awareness of campaign themes included interviews, unobtrusive observation, and a mailed survey. Results showed that the campaign affected student awareness of responsible alcohol use themes. (Author/BH)

Compared results of 1982 alcohol use survey at the University of Northern Colorado with a similar 1978 study. Results indicated a continued high level use of alcohol among the students. Taste was selected as the number one reason for alcohol consumption. Alcoholics Anonymous and campus resources were identified as sources of problem assistance.…

Normal drinking patterns in an older population were examined by posing a series of questions directed at identifying drinking norms and practices, the social context and changes in alcohol use over time, and the ways individuals perceive alcohol and drinking. Instruments (N=3) were constructed: a schedule for structured personal interviews with…

This study identified differences and similarities among the perceptions of adult and adolescent community members regarding drug use patterns and practices. A written questionnaire was administered to 5,128 adolescents from grades 7 through 12 in the rural inland northwest, and a similar questionnaire was administered to over 900 adults in the…

Assigned 1,426 university students to four intervention groups. A "norm-setting" intervention program--used to study perceptions and expectations of drinking--was of chief interest. This group was associated with the greatest reductions in the drinking norms attributed to the student body, close friends, living groups, and parents. (RJM)

Uses a self-report instrument to examine the relationship of family structure to adolescent drug use and peer-related factors. Finds significant differences in drug use variables, with adolescents from intact families reporting less frequent drug use, fewer drug-using friends, and more perceptions of peer disapproval of drug use. (GCP)

The problems of drug and alcohol use among young people has caused concern for many years. A survey of students' attitudes concerning drugs and alcohol use was conducted by the classroom publication "Weekly Reader." Students in grades 4 through 12 responded to the poll, and a random sample of 101,000 responses was analyzed. The results…