Attitudes and reported problems as predictors of alcohol use among college students

Background/Purpose: College alcohol researchers regularly examine the impact of perceived norms on alcohol consumption; however, little research has been done on the influence of attitudes, norms, and negative personal alcohol outcomes on alcohol use. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between alcohol use and attitudes, norms, and alcohol-related problems (ARP) in a college student sample.

Methods: Paper-and-pencil surveys were administered to 910 undergraduate students (72.6% female) at a large, public university in the southeastern U.S. A backward stepwise regression analysis was conducted with average drinks per week as the dependent variable and the following independent variables: attitudes toward alcohol, descriptive norms of alcohol use and ARP, injunctive norms of alcohol use, and demographic variables of interest.

Results: Respondents reported the average number of drinks they consumed per week with a mean of 6.61 drinks (s.d.=8.0). The regression model was significant (F(4,682)=197.78;p<.001) with 53.4% of the variance of average drinks per week explained by higher reports of ARP, permissive attitudes toward alcohol, being male, and involvement in a Greek organization.

Discussion: Study findings showed that perceived norms were not as predictive as personal values, attitudes, and alcohol experiences (i.e., ARP) on alcohol use in this population. Although results suggest that ARP may influence drinking behaviors of college students; longitudinal studies are needed to understand the relationship between drinking behaviors and negative outcomes associated with drinking.