Leisure Activities, the Social Weekend, and Alcohol Use: Evidence From a Daily Study of First-Year College Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective: The aim of this study was to document within-person and between-persons associations between the duration of day-to-day activities (volunteering, spiritual activities, media use, socializing, entertainment/campus events and clubs, athletics, classes, working for pay) and alcohol use (quantity and heavy drinking) and to examine whether these associations differed by gender and the time of week. Method: First-semester college students (N = 717 persons; 51.6% female) provided up to 14 consecutive days of data (N = 9,431 days) via daily web-based surveys. Multilevel analyses tested whether alcohol use was associated with activity duration, gender, and time of week. Results: Between-persons associations indicated that alcohol use was higher among individuals who spent more time involved in athletics and socializing and lower among students who spent more time in spiritual and volunteer activities. Within-person associations indicated that students consumed more alcohol and were more likely to drink heavily on weekends, on days they spent more time than usual socializing, and on days they spent less time than usual in spiritual activities and using media. Conclusions: Select activities and days were linked with less alcohol use at both the between-and within-person levels, suggesting that attention should be paid to both selection effects and social context to understand the mechanisms linking activity duration and student drinking. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 73, 250-259, 2012)

Daily physical activity and alcohol use across the adult lifespan.

“…Furthermore, despite daily differences in levels of alcohol consumption, the within-person association between PA and alcohol use did not vary according to the day of the week. This finding contrasted with previous work reporting that first-year college students who participated in sport or exercise activities on social weekends (but not on weekdays) consumed less alcohol; however, that study used a coarse measure of activity based on duration without regard to intensity or overall energy expenditure so the results are not directly comparable (Finlay, Ram, Maggs, & Caldwell, 2012). …”

Protective behavioral strategies as a context-specific mediator: A multilevel examination of within- and between-person associations of daily drinking.

“…One experimental study found that college students may model other’s behavior when drinking, such that individuals tend to consume more alcohol when a confederate modeled heavy consumption than when a confederate modeled light consumption (Collins, Parks, & Marlatt, 1985). Additionally, a recent daily diary study revealed that college students tend to consume more alcohol on days when they spent more time socializing (Finlay, Ram, Maggs, & Caldwell, 2012). Further, a longitudinal study indicated that greater frequency of drinking in social contexts was associated with higher likelihood of alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, and drunk driving two to three years later (Beck, Caldeira, Vincent, & Arria, 2013).…”

Changes in Substance Use-Related Health Risk Behaviors on the Timeline Follow-Back Interview as a Function of Length of Recall Period

“…According to national data, alcohol use disorder was more prevalent among Whites and Hispanics compared to African Americans, whereas marijuana use disorder was greatest among African Americans compared to other race/ethnicities (Pacek, Malcolm, & Martins, 2012). Furthermore, the literature has shown that although young marijuana users tended to report most events on weekdays (Shrier, Walls, Rhoads, & Blood, 2013), young alcohol users were most likely involved in drinking on weekend days when they spent more time socializing (Finlay, Ram, Maggs, & Caldwell, 2012). Thus, within a relapse prevention framework, these findings may stress the importance of identification and avoidance of triggers associated with isolative behaviors (marijuana use) versus social behaviors (alcohol use).…”