Examining the Unique Influence of Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Drinking Perceptions on Alcohol Consumption Among College Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective: Interventions for college student drinking often incorporate interpersonal factors such as descriptive and/or injunctive norms to correct misperceptions about campus drinking (e.g., BASICS [Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students] and social-norms campaigns). Some interventions also focus on intrapersonal factors of alcohol consumption, which can be considered as one's own perception of drinking, one's attitude toward drinking, and one's intended outcome related to drinking. The current study sought to extend previous work by examining relationships between both inter-and intrapersonal perceptions of drinking and reported drinking behavior. Method: College students (N = 303) completed questionnaires assessing drinking behaviors, perceptions of other students' attitudes toward drinking (i.e., injunctive norms), their perception of the quantity and frequency of student/friend drinking (i.e., descriptive norms), and their attitudes and perceptions toward their own alcohol consumption (i.e., intrapersonal factors). Results: Multiple regressions were used to analyze the unique infl uence between inter-and intrapersonal drinking perceptions and drinking behavior. Conclusions: Among the interpersonal perceptions of drinking, only closest friend's drinking signifi cantly predicted alcohol consumption, whereas all three intrapersonal factors signifi cantly predicted alcohol consumption. Suggestions for enhancing college student drinking interventions are discussed. (J. Stud. Alcohol

Drinking games, tailgating, and pregaming: Precollege predictors of risky college drinking

“…Injunctive norms were assessed by a single item regarding what they believe best represents “the most common attitude” among college students at the host site about alcohol use using a 5-point response scale (1 =“drinking is never a good thing to do” to 5 =“getting drunk frequently is okay if that’s what the individual wants to do”) (22). Previous research has shown that injunctive norms in college student samples are comparable when using a single-item measure or multi-item measures (23,24). …”

Examination of a Dual‐Process Model Predicting Riding with Drinking Drivers

“…Injunctive norms refer to the perceived approval of a behavior by referents close to the individual (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). Descriptive norms refer to the perceived frequency of the referent group engaging in behavior (Borsari and Carey, 2001; Lewis and Neighbors, 2006; Mallett et al, 2009). Both types of norms have been shown to consistently predict a wide range of drinking outcomes (e.g., weekly drinking, heavy episodic drinking; see Borsari and Carey, 2001).…”

Combining alcohol and energy drinks: An examination of psychosocial constructs and alcohol outcomes among college students using a longitudinal design

“…Research that has examined this issue suggests consuming AmEDs can reduce subjective perceptions of intoxication, even though these effects are not detected in objective measures or blood alcohol content (Ferreira, de Mello, Pompeia, & de Souza-Formigoni, 2006; Oteri, Francesco, Caputi, & Calapai, 2007). Further, studies have shown that students who tended to underestimate their blood alcohol levels were more likely to consume larger amounts of alcohol, which increased their likelihood of experiencing alcohol-related harm (Mallett, Bachrach, & Turrisi, 2009). Thus, there is a need to better understand college students’ AmED use due to the associated exacerbation of high-risk drinking behaviors and alcohol-related consequences.…”

“…These variables have been investigated in the general college drinking literature and found to be predictive of alcohol use within this population. For example, past research has shown that both college students’ beliefs about and attitudes towards drinking are associated with alcohol consumption (e.g., Darkes & Goldman, 1993; Mallett et al, 2009; Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, & Castillo, 1995; Weitzman, Nelson, & Wechsler, 2003). Prior college studies have also confirmed the importance of exploring perceived peer norms about drinking (Borsari & Carey, 2001; Neighbors, Lee, Lewis, Fossos, & Larimer, 2007).…”