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The important implications generated by binge drinking among university students justify the interest to determine which factors predict its occurrence. Specifically, this study aims to assess the role of personality and drinking onset in predicting weekly alcohol consumption, and the impact of the whole set of variables in predicting the number of consequences associated with consumption in undergraduates. Two hundred and thirteen freshmen who were intensive consumers (binge drinkers) from the University Complutense of Madrid were evaluated. All of them filled in a selfregistration of consumption, the BIS-11, the NEO-FFI and the IECI consequences associated with intake. The hierarchical regression analysis shows that the drinking onset appears to be a relevant predictor variable in explaining weekly consumption and the number of consequences. The same can be said of the weekly consumption variable with regard to the number of consequences. In general, the influence of personality is quite limited. It is interesting to point out that responsibility and impulsivity, along with age, explain most of the weekly consumption behavior among males. With respect to the consequences of consumption, only impulsivity and neuroticism contribute to explain them, but with less strength than age and weekly consumption. Our results justify the need to plan tighter interventions and consider new predictors that help to explain further weekly consumption in women. Las importantes implicaciones que genera el consumo intensivo de alcohol entre los jóvenes justifican el interés por determinar qué factores predicen su aparición. Concretamente, en este estudio se analiza el papel de la personalidad y edad de inicio en el consumo de alcohol en la predicción del consumo semanal de alcohol, y de todas estas variables en la predicción del número de consecuencias asociadas al consumo en jóvenes universitarios.Se evalúan 213 consumidores intensivos de primer curso de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Todos ellos cumplimentaron un autoregistro de consumo, el BIS-11, el NEO-FFI y el IECI de consecuencias asociadas a la ingesta.Los análisis de regresión de orden jerárquico muestran que la edad de inicio resulta ser una variable predictora relevante tanto en la explicación del consumo semanal como del número de consecuencias.Lo mismo puede decirse de la variable consumo semanal respecto a la del número de consecuencias.En líneas generales, el influjo de las variables de personalidad es bastante limitado. Tan sólo mencionar la responsabilidad e impulsividad, que junto con la edad, llegan a explicar gran parte de la conducta de consumo semanal entre varones. En lo que respecta a las consecuencias derivadas del consumo, sólo resultan explicativas, aunque en menor medida que la edad y el consumo semanal, la impulsividad y el neuroticismo.Esto justifica la necesidad de planificar intervenciones más ajustadas y de analizar nuevos predictores en el caso de las mujeres que permitan explicar en mayor medida su conducta de consumo semanal.Palabras cla...

This study analyzes the appropriateness of an improved version of one of the most frequently used instruments for the screening of high-risk alcohol consumption. This adaptation was created in accordance with certain limitations recognized by other researchers and in an attempt to adjust the content and scales of some items to a more consensual definition of binge drinking. After revising items 2 and 3, the areas under the ROC curves of the AUDIT and of different abbreviated versions were calculated. A total of 906 minors (468 females) between the ages of 15 and 17 were evaluated. Stratified sampling was conducted on a population of high school students in the city of Valencia (Spain). One school was randomly chosen from each of the city’s 16 school districts. Information was collected on sociodemographic aspects, consumption patterns and the AUDIT containing the improved items. The percentage of underage BD reached 36%, regardless of gender or age. BD groups have been differentiated by different intensity levels, both in males and females. Upon comparing the effectiveness of the distinct versions of the AUDIT, it is recommended that researchers and clinics use the combination of the revised items 2 and 3 to ensure a more precise identification of underage BD. A cut-off point of 5 for this test would permit identification of 94% of the underage BD and would notably reduce false positives.

data of 6009 youngsters (14-25 years old) were collected from three Spanish cities. Only individuals who engage in intensive consumption of alcohol (n = 2807) have been included. The purpose of this work has been to identify the different types of consumers at risk through a cluster analysis and to establish a profile for each particular group. Four groups were differentiated by age, gender, alcohol consumption and years of consumption. It was observed that adolescent students and university students of the same sex consume similar quantities of alcohol, and justify their consumption alluding to personal factors, whereas university students refer to issues related to control of leisure. The consumption by males is the highest, and they are the most likely to seek drunkenness. They associate to a lesser degree their consumption with the possibility of developing an addictive process. In general, all youngsters consider that their consumption will have no negative consequences. These results indicate the need to come up with different alternatives, addressing the particularities of each group. Keywords: botellon, intensive consumption of alcohol, cluster analysis, typology of consumers, youngsters.Un fenómeno que en España favorece el actual patrón de consumo de alcohol juvenil es el conocido como botellón. A partir de una investigación financiada por el Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (2004Drogas ( -2007, se recogieron datos de 6009 jóvenes entre 14 y 25 años en tres ciudades españolas, considerando para este trabajo a quienes realizan episodios de consumo intensivo de alcohol (n = 2807). El objetivo ha sido identificar los distintos tipos de consumidores de riesgo intensivos mediante un análisis de conglomerados y establecer el perfil característico de cada uno. Se diferencian cuatro grupos en función de la edad, sexo, cantidad de alcohol y años de consumo. Los estudiantes de secundaria ingieren cantidades de alcohol similares a las de los universitarios de su mismo sexo y aluden a aspectos personales para justificar este consumo, mientras que los universitarios hacen referencia a cuestiones asociadas al control del ocio. Los varones son quienes más consumen y más buscan la borrachera, aunque asocian en menor grado su ingesta con la posibilidad de desarrollar un proceso adictivo. En general, todos los jóvenes consideran que su consumo no tendrá consecuencias negativas. Estos resultados indican la necesidad de proponer alternativas diferentes atendiendo a las peculiaridades de cada grupo.

RESUMENSe presentan algunos de los principales parámetros del patrón de conducta de los jóvenes cuando realizan botellón, intentando superar la visión poco precisa que han generado los estudios de campo. Se han recogido 4083 encuestas de jóvenes entre 14-25 años de la ciudad de Valencia, durante el curso académico 2005/2006 a partir de una muestra aleatoria de centros educativos, acudiendo a las aulas y solicitando la colaboración anónima y voluntaria.Los resultados confirman la reducción progresiva en la edad de inicio en la práctica del botellón, situándose en 13 años para los adolescentes que en estos momentos tienen 14 años. Asimismo niegan que se trate de una práctica mayoritaria entre varones, al realizarla por igual ambos sexos. También se confirma la tendencia europea que muestra una radicalización del consumo: incremento notorio de bebidas de alta graduación independientemente de la edad y del sexo, llegando a tasas de alcoholemia medias de aproximadamente 1,5 gr., con una frecuencia media de 2 veces por semana y durante más de 6 meses al año. Todo esto suele unirse a una falsa percepción sobre los efectos derivados del consumo al sobredimensionar los aspectos positivos.Estos resultados plantean la necesidad de diseñar una prevención selectiva o incluso indicada -para aproximadamente el 20% de casos más extremos-, superando la limitación actual de prevención universal. Tampoco puede obviarse la intervención sobre la permisividad mostrada por los padres fundamentada en aspectos como la edad temprana de inicio en la práctica del botellón o la hora de vuelta a casa tras su realización. ABSTRACTThis paper presents some of the main parameters in the behaviour pattern of young people in their binge drinking practices, seeking to improve the somewhat inaccurate view emerging from field studies. A total of 4,083 questionnaires were administered to young people in Valencia aged 14-25 during the academic year 2005/2006, from a random sample of schools and other educational institutions. The survey was conducted in the institutions themselves and participation was anonymous and voluntary.

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r e s u M e n Las implicaciones clínicas y sociales derivadas del consumo intensivo de alcohol (CIA) en universitarios motivan la necesidad de analizar los factores que favorecen su aparición. Este estudio evalúa cómo influye la cantidad de alcohol ingerido, la edad de inicio en el consumo de esta sustancia y los motivos asociados a esta conducta en la presencia de un mayor o menor número de consecuencias psicosociales. 312 estudiantes de primero de la Universidad de Valencia que realizan CIA cumplimentaron el instrumento IECI (Cortés et al., 2012): autoregistro de consumo, motivos asociados a esta ingesta y consecuencias psicosociales derivadas. Se confirman resultados de investigaciones precedentes. Ambos sexos duplican los gramos de alcohol que definen un CIA. Aparecen diferencias en los efectos esperados en función del sexo, así como en la edad de inicio en el consumo y en el número de consecuencias experimentadas. Los análisis de regresión de orden jerárquico muestran la importancia de la edad de inicio y los motivos, por encima de los gramos consumidos, para dar cuenta del deterioro psicosocial generado por la ingesta. Esto apoya la necesidad de atender a la combinación de variables en la explicación y posterior intervención para paliar las consecuencias derivadas del CIA.Palabras clave universitarios; edad de inicio; motivos; consecuencias; consumo intensivo de alcohol; diferencias de género a b s t r a c t Drinking onset, motives and alcohol use in the prediction of alcohol-related problems in undergraduate binge drinkers. The clinical and social implications derived from binge drinking (BD) in university students cause the need to analyze the factors which contribute to its appearance. This research assesses the influence of the amount of alcohol consumed, drinking onset and the motives associated with this behaviour in the presence of a greater or least number of psychological consequences. 312 first year university students at Valencia University performing BD completed the IECI instrument (Cortés et al., 2012): self report about consumption, associated motives to their consumption and the psychosocial consequences. Results are confirmed by previous research. Both sexes double the grams of alcohol which define a BD. Differences appear in the expected outcome depending on the sex as well as the age at which they drinking onset and the number of experienced consequences. The hierarchical regression analysis shows the importance of the drinking onset and the motives, above the quantity of consumed grams, in order to report the psychosocial

Alcohol intensive consumption (AIC) in university students has important clinical and social implications that motivate the need to look into the factors that favor its apparition and consolidation. More concretely, this study assesses the role of impulsivity and the associated expectations about consumption, as well as the possible mediation of expectations in the relationship between impulsivity and AIC. Three hundred and three students in the first year at the University Complutense of Madrid that carry out AIC kept a self-record of their consumption, a scale of expectations associated to the ingestion (IECI, 2012), and the BIS-11 scale of impulsiveness. In all cases, both men and women, doubles the grams of alcohol that define an AIC, as well as the frequency in the execution of this behaviour, which increases the probability that these negative consequences come about. No differences were found between men's and women's expectations associated to AIC, nor in their total impulsivity scores. The hierarchy regression analysis shows that expectations do not moderate the relationship between impulsivity and consumption. Both variables influence the independent mode of consumption (grams of ingested alcohol and frequency of ingestion), with a higher weight on expectations from both, men and women, but being significant the input of impulsivity only among males. This justifies the need to plan interventions that address the modification of these expectations, including, in the case of males, the aspects related to impulsivity.