Environmental Predictors Of Heavy Episodic Drinking - in college students - Statistical Data Included

American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, May, 2001 by John D. Clapp, Audrey M. Shillington

Alcohol use by college students has long been a concern in the United States (1). Several recent large, national epidemiological studies have examined heavy episodic drinking (i.e., 5 or more drinks in one sitting for men, 4 or more for women, or 5 drinks in single setting) among college students (2-6). As noted by Presley and associates (5), such drinking is associated with a variety of negative consequences, ranging from mild (hangovers) to severe (suicide attempts). Although these studies have identified demographic characteristics associated with heavy episodic drinking (3, 4), little research has examined the environmental characteristics associated with drinking contexts common to college students. Research into environmental factors related to alcohol consumption is especially important given the current popularity of environmental approaches to alcohol prevention on college campuses (7).

In a recent study, Clapp, Shillington, and Segars (8) examined contexts of heavy episodic drinking. They found heavy episodic drinking contexts were almost evenly split between public and private contexts, and that over half of all heavy drinking events resulted in some type of alcohol-related problem. Their study, however, did not assess alcohol consumption as it relates to various contexts. All the drinking events examined in the Clapp et al. (8) study were heavy episodic drinking events. Using environmental- and individual-level variables reported for specific drinking events, this study builds on their work by analyzing contextual predictors of heavy episodic drinking.

More specifically, we address the following research question: Which environmental and individual factors contributed to students' heavy episodic drinking during their last drinking events? By addressing this question, it is hoped that the present study will contribute to the college alcohol prevention field by identifying specific factors related to heavy episodic alcohol consumption within specific contexts. Such information should be useful to prevention professionals working with college students. In addition, the study should be interesting to researchers in the field of college alcohol use.

DRINKING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Existing Studies

Presley and colleagues (5) presented data collected between 1990 and 1992 from 108 colleges and universities (N = 45,000 students), a study funded by the U.S. Department of Education's FIPSE AOD (alcohol and other drug) prevention program. Within this sample, 83.5% of the respondents reported drinking alcohol at least once in the past year; there was virtually no difference in prevalence by gender. AOD-related problems reported by respondents ranged from having a hangover (59.8% at least once) to attempting suicide ([is less than] 1%). Men reported higher frequencies of problems than did women across all problem categories.

Several recent college alcohol use studies have examined heavy episodic or "binge" drinking and its correlated problems (2, 9, 10). These studies indicated that the prevalence of heavy episodic drinking among college students in the United States is moderately high. The recent prevalence of heavy episodic drinking among college students has been reported by over two-fifths of those surveyed (3, 9).

Environmental Characteristics

Much of the extant literature concerning college students' drinking behaviors has focused on individual characteristics of drinkers as they relate to alcohol consumption and problems. A few studies of drinking contexts and college students have begun to examine environmental factors related to heavy episodic drinking (8, 11-13).

Drinking contexts have been conceptualized as where one drinks, with whom one is drinking, and when one drinks (14). Underlying this conceptualization is the notion that individuals interact with their environment, and this interaction influences drinking behavior (15). Consistent with this conceptual approach, Jessor (16) identified five measurable aspects of drinking contexts: (a) location of the drinking event, (b) demographic/descriptive characteristics of the event and its participants, (c) the meanings associated with drinking contexts, (d) abstract dimensions of events such as social controls and norms, and (e) personal perceptions associated with the context.

As noted above, little research has focused on drinking contexts frequented by college students. Kraft (13) examined alcohol consumption patterns, related problems, and contexts of drinking at one East Coast university in the late 1970s. He reported that respondents tended to drink with friends, on weekends, and at parties, while the heaviest drinkers often patronized bars. With increased frequency of attendance at parties or bars, Kraft found increased frequency of self-reported problem behaviors such as driving drunk, academic problems, belligerence, job-related problems, vandalism, and trouble with authorities. In a study of drinking contexts frequented by college females, Hunter (11) reported that female college students drank more often at parties and in bars than in any other contexts.