College-Related Alcohol Beliefs and Problematic Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategies as a Mediator

Abstract

Background College-related alcohol beliefs, or beliefs that drinking alcohol is central to the college experience, have been shown to robustly predict alcohol-related outcomes among college students. Given the strength of the associations, it is imperative to understand more proximal factors (i.e., closer in causal chain leading to alcohol-related outcomes) that can explain these associations. Objectives The current research examined alcohol protective behavioral strategies (PBS) as a potential mediator of the association between college-related alcohol beliefs and alcohol outcomes among college student drinkers. Method Participants were undergraduate students from a large southeastern university (Sample 1; n = 561) and a large southwestern university (Sample 2; n = 563) the United States that consumed alcohol at least once in the previous month. Results Path analysis was conducted examining the concurrent associations between college-related alcohol beliefs, PBS use (both as a single facet and multidimensionally), alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related consequences (i.e., double-mediation). In both samples, there was a significant double-mediated association that suggested that higher college-related alcohol beliefs is associated with lower PBS use (single facet), which is associated with higher alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. Multidimensionally, only one double-mediation effect (in Sample 2 only) was significant (i.e., college-related alcohol beliefs → manner of drinking PBS → alcohol consumption → alcohol-related consequences). Conclusions/Importance These results suggest that targeting these college-related alcohol beliefs as well as PBS use are promising targets for college alcohol interventions. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

College alcohol beliefs: Measurement invariance, mean differences, and correlations with alcohol use outcomes across sociodemographic groups.

“…Challenging these risky cognitions in prevention programs and wellness classes as well as introducing protective behavioral strategies (Bravo, Prince, & Pearson, 2017) can decrease alcohol consumption and drinking problems among college students of diverse backgrounds.…”

Cross-cultural examination of college drinking culture in Spain, Argentina, and USA: Measurement invariance testing of the College Life Alcohol Salience Scale

“…For example, using the CLASS, researchers have found that men endorse higher college alcohol beliefs compared to women (Bravo et al, 2017;Hustad et al, 2014;Pearson and Hustad, 2014). To date, it is unclear whether these findings regarding sex and college perceptions reflect actual differences in the degree to which men and women hold these perceptions, or whether they instead reflect measurement bias in the measure itself.…”

“…Participants were college students recruited from four universities across three countries to participate in an online survey regarding personal mental health, personality traits, and alcohol use behaviors (see Bravo, Pearson et al, 2017 for more information on recruitment procedures).…”

“…In 2010, Osberg and colleagues developed and validated the College Life Alcohol Salience Scale (CLASS) to assess the internalization of college student drinking culture, or beliefs regarding the degree to which alcohol use is considered an integral part of the college experience. Since its development, the CLASS has been shown to be robustly associated with elevated levels of alcohol use and consequences among college students (Bravo et al, 2017;Osberg et al, 2010Osberg et al, , 2011Osberg et al, , 2012. Moreover, the CLASS has been shown to have stronger associations with negative alcohol-related consequences than many other established predictors of alcohol outcomes (e.g., descriptive norms, injunctive norms, alcohol expectancies; Hustad et al, 2014;Osberg and Boyer, 2016;Pearson and Hustad, 2014;Ward et al, 2015).…”

Perfectionism and alcohol use outcomes in college students: the moderating role of alcohol protective behavioral strategies

“…These strategies are classified into three subtypes: serious harm reduction (PBS-SHR; using a designated driver), stopping/limiting drinking (PBS-SLD; leaving the bar/party at a predetermined time), and manner of drinking (PBS-MOD; drink slowly versus chugging or gulping). Generally, evidence supports the protective value of PBS (Pearson, 2013); however, different effects can be found when PBS are dismantled into their subtypes (Bravo, Prince, & Pearson, 2017). It appears that PBS-SLD and PBS-MOD tend to vary in their negative association with alcohol consumption while PBS-SHR tends to be linked with decreases in ARNC (Napper, Kenney, Lac, Lewis, & LaBrie, 2014;Pearson, 2013).…”