Social self-efficacy moderates the relationship between normative beliefs about alcohol and binge drinking behaviors among college students

Objective: To examine the relationship between the frequency of heavy and episodic (“binge”) drinking among college students and normative beliefs about alcohol consumption as a function of three distinct dimensions of social self-efficacy (SSE; positive, P-SSE; negative, N-SSE; and indifferent, I-SSE) reflecting differential confidence in and comfort with social interactions. Methods: College undergraduates (n=441) voluntarily completed a self-administered questionnaire that assessed drinking behaviors, SSE, alcohol consumption social norms, and demographics. The sample was predominantly female (64%); 89% were below the legal drinking age (M = 19.2 years); 64% lived in campus housing. Respondents were categorized into the SSE dimensions via cluster analysis. The frequency of binge drinking behavioral episodes per month, adjusted for respondent sex, was computed. Results: With binge drinking incidence as the exogenous variable regression models were computed for each SSE dimension. The model for N-SSE respondents revealed that binge drinking (incidents per month: males, M = 7.8; females, M = 4.2) was strongly linked to “alcohol consumption is crucial to a successful social life” normative beliefs. Binge behavior among P-SSE respondents (males, M = 7.3; females, M = 6.3) was strongly associated with normative beliefs that alcohol is a “social lubricant” and mood enhancer among P-SSE respondents. And, for I-SSE respondents binge drinking (males, M = 4.2; females, M = 4.0) was associated with social norms of celebratory and anger-instigated alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Social self-efficacy reflects individuals' differential sensitivity to alcohol consumption social norms and could prove valuable in refining college-student targeted intervention efforts.