Drinking Like an Adult? Trajectories of Alcohol Use Patterns Before and After College Graduation

Abstract

Background College students who engage in high-risk drinking patterns are thought to “mature out” of these patterns as they transition to adult roles. College graduation is an important milestone demarcating this transition. We examine longitudinal changes in quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption between the college years and the four years after graduation; and explore variation in these changes by gender and race/ethnicity. Methods Participants were 1128 college graduates enrolled in a longitudinal prospective study of health-risk behaviors. Standard measures of alcohol consumption were gathered during eight annual personal interviews (76% to 91% annual follow-up). Graduation dates were culled from administrative data and self-report. Spline models, in which separate trajectories were modeled before and after the “knot” of college graduation, were fit to eight annual observations of past-year alcohol use frequency and quantity (typical number of drinks/drinking day). Results Frequency increased linearly pre-graduation, slightly decreased post-graduation, and then rebounded to pre-graduation levels. Pre-graduation frequency increased more steeply among individuals who drank more heavily at college entry. Quantity decreased linearly during college, followed by quadratic decreases after graduation. Conclusions Results suggest that the post-college “maturing out” phenomenon might be attributable to decreases in alcohol quantity but not frequency. High-frequency drinking patterns that develop during college appear to persist several years post-graduation.

Continuity of drunk and drugged driving behaviors four years post-college

“…The observed increases in both DAD and DWI during the college years are consistent with prior evidence from college student samples (LaBrie et al, 2012; Quinn and Fromme, 2012). Interestingly, the finding that DAD plateaued after Year 4 mirrors the post-college trends in alcohol frequency that were recently documented among this sample (Arria et al, 2016). …”

“…Moreover, the finding that Light-to-Moderate drinkers showed no signs of curbing DWI stands in contrast to prior research documenting reductions in substance use and other risky behaviors following other important developmental milestones demarcating the transition to adulthood (Duncan et al, 2006; Oesterle et al, 2011). Prior evidence from this sample supports the notion that college graduation might be an important turning point in students’ drinking patterns (Arria et al, 2016), but such changes might not translate to changes in likelihood of DWI as measured in the present study. Alternatively, we cannot rule out the possibility that the observed trends in DWI might be partially attributable to concomitant changes in overall driving behaviors; it is plausible, for example, that more frequent driving after college—relative to pre-graduation driving habits—might translate to greater opportunities for DAD and DWI to occur.…”

“…With the transition from college to young adulthood comes an increase in responsibility and independence, and declines in heavy drinking, drug use, and other risky behaviors are known to coincide with conventional “adult” milestones like cohabitation, marriage, and parenthood (Duncan et al, 2006; Eitle et al, 2010; Leonard and Rothbard, 1999; Oesterle et al, 2011). We recently demonstrated how frequency of drinking increases in the post-college period in tandem with decreases in quantity (Arria et al, 2016). Moreover, declines in heavy drinking and other substance use during the middle and late twenties have been documented previously among both college-educated and other young adult populations (Brodbeck et al, 2013; Gotham et al, 1997; Jackson et al, 2001; Johnston et al, 2014), but have yet to be confirmed for AOD-involved driving.…”

Use of alcohol and other drugs among male university students and its meanings

“…Many affirmed that concluding their university degree reflects changes and, as they said, now they had to "focus," take on responsibilities such as a job, marriage, and children, and this could contribute to reducing or ceasing the use of psychoactive substances (8,21) . The social constructions of gender (22) can contribute to this new view of the world.…”

“…Consequently, efforts should be made to promote preventive measures to fight the use of legal and illegal drugs; measures of therapy; and reinsertion into the society and university life. This demands analyzing and understanding the factors that influence students to consume alcohol and/or other drugs, to let them develop their intellectual capabilities and cope with the adversities resulting from academic demands and distance from family members (5,8) . Some studies acknowledge that this stage of life is complex, and support services to students in higher education institutions have tried to implement policies for student care, which are still in the early stages.…”