Short- and long-term effects of fraternity and sorority membership on heavy drinking: A social norms perspective.

Abstract

This study sought to determine whether the well-established relation between fraternity/sorority (Greek) membership and heavy alcohol use persists beyond the college years and whether some common third variables might account for the relation between Greek status and heavy drinking. During each of 4 years of college and 1 additional year, young adults (N = 319) completed measures of alcohol use, personality, alcohol expectancies, and environmental influences on drinking. Throughout the college years, Greeks consistently drank more heavily than non-Greeks. Statistically controlling for previous alcohol use did not eliminate this effect. However, Greek status did not predict postcollege heavy drinking levels. Also, perceived peer norms for heavy drinking mediated the relation between Greek affiliation and heavy alcohol use. Results are discussed in terms of situational determinants of heavy alcohol involvement in young adults.

Fraternity and sorority involvement, social influences, and alcohol use among college students: A prospective examination.

“…Likewise, our findings add to a much smaller body of prospective research demonstrating higher levels of alcohol use and problems (Baer et al, 1995;Sher et al, 2001), other drug use (McCabe et al, 2005), and membership in more problematic alcohol growth trajectory groups (Schulenberg et al, 1996) for Greeks throughout the college years.…”

“…Members of Greek organizations consistently demonstrate higher levels of alcohol use and problems than nonmembers (Lo & Globetti, 1995;Sher, Bartholow, & Nanda, 2001). Specifically, fraternity and sorority members and leaders exhibit high levels of use and approval of use (Cashin, Presley, & Meilman, 1998).…”

“…However, as noted by Sher et al (2001), longitudinal studies that include prematriculation assessment are required to provide stronger tests of selection (and reciprocal influence) effects. Moreover, investigation of the potential mediational role of a more comprehensive set of social influences than has been done to date would further our understanding of the etiology of college student drinking and provide guidance for preventive intervention efforts.…”

Live interactive group-specific normative feedback reduces misperceptions and drinking in college students: A randomized cluster trial.

“…Thus, providing students with feedback from their specific campus or salient reference group may be the most beneficial way of providing feedback (Far & Miller, 2003). Members of fraternities and sororities are of particular concern, because Greekaffiliated students drink more heavily and more frequently than do other students (Sher, Bartholow, & Nanda, 2001). Greek students also overestimate the drinking behavior of their peers in their specific organizations (Baer, 1994) and these misperceptions influence heavy drinking (Larimer, Turner, Mallett, & Geisner, 2004).…”

Developing a Genetically Informative Measure of Alcohol Consumption Using Past-12-Month Indices

“…However, our fi ndings suggest some caution in assuming that past-12-month drinking, particularly when assessed during young adulthood, is a reasonable indicator of lifetime typical drinking, because the lower correlations between drinking at Wave 4 (age range: 17-27 years) and Wave 6 (age range: 28-41 years) do suggest that developmental factors continue to modify drinking patterns well into adulthood. The variation in drinking between young and later adulthood may refl ect exposure to pro-drinking milieus in college (Bartholow et al, 2003;Sher et al, 2001), which may contribute to some of the specifi city of past-12-month alcohol consumption at Wave 4, as well as the transition to employment and parenthood in later adulthood (Christie-Mizell and Peralta, 2009;Gotham et al, 1997;Little et al, 2009;Richman et al, 1995) that may have had an impact on the emerging stability in Waves 5 and 6.…”