Gender differences in the rates and consequences of heavy episodic drinking by college students with disabilities

The use of alcohol by college students has been a concern of members of the public health community for decades. Heavy episodic drinking (commonly defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in one sitting by males and four or more drinks by females) has gained particular attention, with recent studies estimating the rates of such drinking in national samples of college students at 42% to 44%. The attention given to such drinking is on the severity of the negative consequences experienced by such students. About 1,700 college students die each year as a result of unintentional injuries associated with alcohol use, and nearly 600,000 are unintentionally injured while under the influence. Nearly 700,000 students are assaulted and receive injuries each year by another student who has been drinking. Students who have been drinking or who encounter students who have been drinking are at significantly increased risk for being sexually assaulted. Here we report findings from the first national examination of heavy episodic drinking by college students with disabilities (SWDs). Using data collected from 1,285 college SWDs attending 200 colleges and universities nationwide, we found that as with students without disabilities, women SWDs engaged in heavy episodic drinking at rates less than males (Χ² = 41.36, p < .001). Further, women SWDs were less likely to be victims of violence (Χ² = 18.55, p < .001) and to report being on academic probation (and to report being on academic probation (X2 = 9.12, p < .05). = 9.12, p < .05). Female SWDs were, however, more likely than their male counterparts to report being sexually assaulted (Χ² = 22.26, p < .001).