Binge drinking in undergraduates: relationships with sex, drinking behaviors, impulsivity, and the perceived effects of alcohol

Abstract

Binge drinking on university campuses is associated with social and health-related problems. In order to determine the factors that may predict this behavior, we collected information on alcohol use, alcohol expectations, and impulsivity from 428 undergraduate students attending a Canadian university. The subjective effects of a binge-drinking dose of alcohol were assessed in a subset of participants. In the larger sample, 72% of students reported drinking at or above binge drinking thresholds on a regular basis. Men reported alcohol consumption per drinking occasion that was consistent with other studies, but the frequency of drinking occasions among women was higher than previous studies, suggesting that consumption in women may be increasing. Compared to men, women reported different expectations of alcohol, specifically related to sociability and sexuality. Self-reported impulsivity scores were related, albeit weakly, to drinking behaviors and to expectations in both sexes. Finally, intoxicated binge drinkers reported feeling less intoxicated, liking the effects more and wanting more alcohol than did non-binge drinkers receiving an equivalent dose of alcohol. These results have implications for gender-specific prevention strategies for binge drinking on university campuses

Impulsivity and drinking motives predict problem behaviours relating to alcohol use in University students

“…Also consistent with Government concerns regarding harmful drinking in young people, negative consequences of alcohol use were commonly endorsed but varied in their severity, with 'frequent' or 'normal' consequences occurring in a large majority of students (such as vomiting, having a hangover or missing class) and a smaller subgroup of rarer but more severe consequences (alcohol related violence, law-breaking, property damage, driving when intoxicated). With regards to gender, similar to previous studies (Balodis, Potenza, & Olmstead, 2009;Waldeck & Miller, 1997) we found gender differences in impulsivity and drink choice, although we found only subtle differences in the direct and mediated effects of impulsivity and alcohol-related negative consequences between males and females. This is consistent with other findings (Balodis et al, 2009;Magid et al, 2007) and suggests that while there may be differences between male and female UK university students in specific personality traits and drink choices, these may have only a limited role in explaining variance negative consequences of alcohol use.…”

“…With regards to gender, similar to previous studies (Balodis, Potenza, & Olmstead, 2009;Waldeck & Miller, 1997) we found gender differences in impulsivity and drink choice, although we found only subtle differences in the direct and mediated effects of impulsivity and alcohol-related negative consequences between males and females. This is consistent with other findings (Balodis et al, 2009;Magid et al, 2007) and suggests that while there may be differences between male and female UK university students in specific personality traits and drink choices, these may have only a limited role in explaining variance negative consequences of alcohol use.…”

Correlates of Binge Drinking in a Sample of Canadian University Students

“…Research, previous Canadian studies included, has consistently demonstrated that among university students, male students are more likely to engage in binge drinking compared to their female counterparts (e.g., Adlaf et al, 2005;Balodis et al, 2009;Carlson et al, 2010;Gliksman et al, 1997Gliksman et al, , 2003Tavolacci et al, 2016).…”

“…However, other researchers have elaborated upon this definition, and have further operationalized and supported the need to consider binge drinking as a gendered concept (e.g., Balodis et al, 2009;D'Alessio, Baiocco, & Laghi, 2006;Delucchi, Matzger, & Weisner, 2008;Simons, Christopher, & Mclaury, 2004;Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, & Rimm, 1995).…”

“…Adlaf, Demers, & Gliksman, 2005;Balodis et al, 2009;Gliksman, Newton-Taylor, Adlaf, & Giesbrecht, 1997;Gliksman, Adlaf, Demers, & Newton-Taylor, 2003), whereas other studies have simply focused on establishing the prevalence of alcohol use among Canadian university students (e.g. Arbour-Nicitopoulos et al, 2010;Kwan et al, 2013) rather than exploring bivariate or multivariate levels of analysis with regard to binge drinking.…”