Reasons for Drinking among College Students in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Binge drinking by college students is a problematic behavior. However, data on binge drinking and the reasons for drinking by college students in Japan are scarce. We explored the reasons for drinking among college students. The study used a cross-sectional design and a self-administered questionnaire. From December 2016 to March 2017, we sampled undergraduate and graduate students aged 20 or older at 35 colleges in the Kanto region of Japan. The questionnaire addressed 1) frequency of drinking alcohol, 2) amount of drinking per day, 3) frequency of binge drinking in the past year, and 4) reasons for drinking (with 12 possible responses). The t-test was used to compare the means between binge drinkers and non-binge drinkers. Logistic regression analysis was conducted on binge drinking and the reasons for drinking. The participants included 303 men and 260 women. Significant differences between men and women included the presence of binge drinking (men: 74.9%; women: 59.6%). Among male students, the statistically significant reasons given for binge drinking were "to feel happy or be in a good mood" and "to relieve stress," whereas among female students, the reasons were "to feel happy or be in a good mood," "to facilitate interpersonal relationships," "to forget something bad," and "to relieve stress." The reasons for drinking associated with binge drinking were identified. It is important to incorporate these results into preventive education about binge drinking aimed at college students in Japan.

Binge drinking in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic: Prevalence, correlates and association with preventive behaviors

“…The use of five or more drinks for males and four or more drinks for females has a long history in BD research ( Wechsler et al, 1995 ). This measure has also been used recently in studies assessing BD in college students in Japan ( Kawaida et al, 2018b , Kawaida et al, 2021 ). In Japan, as a standard drink has been considered to contain 10 g of pure alcohol in recent years ( International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, 2019 ), in this study BD referred to consuming ≥ 50 g of alcohol for men and ≥ 40 g of alcohol for women in a two hour period ( Kawaida et al, 2021 ).…”

Perceived Stress, Depression and Alcohol Use Disorders in College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Socio-Economic Dimension

“…Alcohol consumption is a common unhealthy pattern of behaviour in students, and the reasons for drinking alcohol are, for example, relieving stress and forgetting something bad [86]. In any case, excessive alcohol consumption in colleges is a very serious problem, as the consequences of this unhealthy behaviour include missed classes and lower grades, injuries, sexual assaults, overdoses, memory blackouts, changes in brain function, lingering cognitive deficits and death [87].…”

Optimal Cutoff Values of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and its Short Version for Detecting Excessive Alcohol Use in Japanese College Students

“…In Japan, 7.2% of men and 9.7% of women were classified as moderate drinkers, and 56.8% of men and 47.8% of women engaged in binge drinking in the past year; 6.5% of men and 8.5% of women qualified as both binge drinkers and moderate drinkers (Yoshimoto et al 2017). Another study reported that 74.9% of men and 59.6% of women had engaged in binge drinking during the past year (Kawaida et al 2018). These data indicate that college students are a risk group for excessive drinking.…”