Using the Integrated Behavioral Model to Predict High-Risk Drinking among College Students

The high-risk drinking rate among college students has remained relatively high (43%) for the last twenty-five years, indicating a pervasive behavior throughout U.S. college campuses. To explore this behavior more in depth, the current study assessed the Integrated Behavioral Model's (IBM) ability to predict and explain high-risk drinking among college students. The cross-sectional study collected data from 40 randomly selected undergraduate classes from a metropolitan university in the mid-west. Stability, internal consistency, expert panel, and exploratory principle components analysis were conducted to ensure satisfactory validity and reliability of the instrument. Participants included 356 undergraduates (52% female) with a mean age of 23, while 75% self-identified as Caucasian. Thirty-seven percent of the sample reported they engaged in high-risk drinking the last time they partied/socialized, and consequently, almost half experienced a negative outcome due to this behavior. The IBM explained approximately 43% and 26% of variance when predicting intentions and high-risk drinking behavior, respectively. Caucasians (OR=6.51), Hispanics (OR=5.16), those who participated in intramural sports (OR=2.10), and males (OR=1.32) engaged in high-risk drinking at disproportionately high rates. A path analysis revealed three significant constructs (p<0.05) which predicted intentions to binge drink: Experiential Attitude (0.34), Injunctive Norms (0.23), and Self-Efficacy (-0.27). Overall, college students engaged in high-risk drinking based on their affective expectations and their referent's approval, though they believed strongly in their ability to moderate their drinking. Thus, prevention efforts should focus on challenging alcohol expectancies, utilize opinion leaders to discourage high-risk drinking, and enhance self-efficacy by teaching refusal techniques.