Abstract Positive and Negative Outcomes of Alcohol
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ABSTRACT POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS ON CELEBRATION DAYS COMPARED TO TYPICAL DAYS by Kathryn Alexandra Witmer College students experience both positive and negative consequences in each drinking occasion. In a longitudinal study, 62 college students reported on their alcohol consumption patterns and experience of positive and negative consequences over the course of 7 weeks. Celebration day alcohol consumption and consequences relates to typical day experiences. Blackout experiences were most commonly reported during the baseline assessment. In addition, heavy and light drinkers did not differ across consequences on celebrations days. College and universities might use this information to tailor interventions and develop prevention strategies with respect to celebration days. Implications are discussed. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS ON CELEBRATION DAYS COMPARED TO TYPICAL DAYS A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Department of Kinesiology and Health by Kathryn Alexandra Witmer Miami University Oxford, OH 2014 Advisor _____________________________ Rose Marie Ward, PhD Advisor ______________________________ Susan Cross Lipnickey, PhD, JD Reader ______________________________ Kyle Timmerman, PhD Table of Contents Page Number Chapter One: Introduction 1 Outcomes of High-Risk Drinking 2 Celebration Drinking 4 Additional Contexts of Student Drinking 7 The Present Study 9 Chapter Two: Methods 10 Participants 10 Measures 10 Procedure 12 Chapter Three: Results 13 Chapter Four: Discussion 16 References 20 Tables 25 Appendix A: Consent Form 41 Appendix B: Demographics 43 Appendix C: Timeline Followback (TLFB) 45 Appendix D: Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (YAACQ) 46 Appendix E: Positive Drinking Consequences Questionnaire (PDCQ) 48 Appendix F: Secondhand Effects of Alcohol Consumption 49 Appendix G: Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ) 50 Appendix H: Debrief Form 51 ii List of Tables Page Number Table 1: Demographics. 25 Table 2: Survey Procedure. 26 Table 3: Correlations for the YAACQ Social-Interpersonal Consequences 27 Subscale. Table 4: Correlations for the YAACQ Impaired Control Subscale. 28 Table 5: Correlations for the YAACQ Risk Behaviors Subscale. 29 Table 6: Correlations for the YAACQ Blackout Drinking Subscale. 30 Table 7: Correlations for the YAACQ Self Perception Subscale. 31 Table 8: Correlations for the YAACQ Self-Care Subscale. 32 Table 9: Correlations for the YAACQ Academic/Occupational Consequences 33 Subscale. Table 10: Correlations for the YAACQ Physical Dependence Subscale. 34 Table 11: Correlations for the Positive Drinking Consequences Questionnaire. 35 Table 12: Independent t-tests Comparing Light and Heavy Drinkers across the 36 YAACQ subscales. Table 13: Proportion of People who Consumed a Certain Type of Alcohol on a 38 Respective Date. iii Chapter One: Positive and Negative Outcomes of Alcohol Consumption among College Students on Celebration Days Compared to Typical Days High-risk drinking on college campuses is one of the most serious national health concerns currently facing young adults (Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, Seibring, Nelson, & Lee, 2002). High-risk drinking is also referred to as binge drinking and is defined as the consumption of five or four drinks for men or women, respectively, on one drinking occasion (Wechsler & Nelson, 2001). This risky behavior leads to several negative consequences. For example, students frequently report having hangovers after drinking (Mallett, Bachrach, & Turrisi, 2008), and those who drink excessively are more likely to have lower GPAs (Singleton & Wolfson, 2009) and be involved in fights (Hingson, Heeren, Winter, & Wechsler, 2005). More seriously but less often reported, students are at risk for hospitalization and even death when they consume high amounts of alcohol (Knight, Wechsler, Kuo, Seibring, Weitzman, & Schuckit, 2002). In national samples, approximately 80% of college students have reported drinking alcohol within the past year, with more than one in five consuming alcohol to binge levels two or more times in a two-week period (Wechsler et al., 2002). Over the last few decades, the rate of alcohol consumption among college students has remained relatively stable (Wechsler et al., 2002). Students typically drink the most on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (Del Boca, Darkes, Greenbaum, & Goldman, 2004; Neal & Fromme, 2007; Ward, Bonar, Taylor, Witmer, Brinkman, Cleveland, & Messman-Moore, 2013). Although, research has shown that alcohol consumption is the highest on holidays and special occasions; more students drink and get drunk on these celebratory occasions, consuming greater quantities, drinking over longer periods of time, and experiencing negative consequences as a result (Lewis, Neighbors, Lee, & Oster-Aaland, 2008). Despite these experiences with alcohol- related negative consequences, college student drinking persists. Researchers attribute these actions to the positive experiences students endure while they are under the influence, such as enhanced sociability due to lowered inhibitions (Park, 2004). Little research has explored the combination of students’ positive and negative experiences on holidays and other high-risk celebratory occasions. Therefore, the current proposal is to examine college student drinking and experiences with negative and positive consequences on celebration days and normal drinking days. 1 The purpose of the current proposal is to examine the multiple factors that influence high- risk drinking among college students, including (a) positive and negative outcomes of alcohol consumption; and (b) student drinking on celebration days (i.e., holidays, special occasions, and school breaks). Examination of the interplay and underlying themes between these factors will generate a greater understanding of high-risk drinking in terms of who is most at risk, and the social and physical environments that contribute to the dangerous consequences associated with this behavior. Such knowledge can then inform intervention and prevention efforts to minimize student drinking and limit the amount of negative consequences they experience. Outcomes of High-Risk Drinking Negative Outcomes and Consequences. Compared to their counterparts, students who engage in frequent binge drinking (i.e., binge drinking 3+ times in a 2-week period) experience a greater amount of alcohol-related consequences (Del Boca et al., 2004; Presley & Pimentel, 2006). The most frequently reported consequence of drinking is a hangover. Other negative alcohol-related consequences reported are nausea and vomiting, blackouts, arguing, memory loss, and doing something that was later regretted (Park & Grant, 2005; Perkins, 2002; Presley & Pimentel, 2006; Wechsler, Davenport, Dowdall, Moeykens, & Castillo, 1994). Another commonly reported consequence is decreased academic performance, resulting from missed classes and poor grades on projects and exams due to drinking; therefore, students who drink more tend to have lower GPAs (Perkins, 2002; Presley & Pimentel, 2006; Singleton, 2007; Singleton & Wolfson, 2009). Binge drinkers and frequent binge drinkers are more likely (3 times and 8 times, respectively) than students who drink moderately (i.e., non-binge drinkers) to fall behind in schoolwork (Perkins, 2002); nearly 70% of binge drinkers have missed a class due to alcohol use, and more than half have fallen behind on schoolwork as a result of drinking (NCASA, 2007). Furthermore, frequent binge drinkers are at the greatest risk for alcohol dependency and other long-term health consequences, including death (Hingson et al., 2005; Knight et al., 2002; Presley & Pimentel, 2006). In conjunction with these individual consequences, college student binge drinking is also influenced on the social level. Binge-drinking students are more likely to be involved with sexual violence and engage in risky sexual behaviors (Abbey, 2002); both men and women are less inclined to use protection while under the influence (Neal & Fromme, 2007; Perkins, 2002). 2 More than 20% of students who drink have engaged in unplanned sexual activity due to intoxication (NCASA, 2007). Further, the likelihood of males sexually coercing females increases as levels of intoxication rise (Abbey, 2002; Neal & Fromme, 2007), which has serious implications in terms of sexual assault in that the majority of sexual assaults on college campuses involve alcohol (NCASA, 2007). Females particularly are at an increased risk of being victims of sexual violence due to the inhibiting effects of alcohol. That is, an individual’s ability to make decisions, interpret messages, and decline unwanted sexual advances is lessened as intoxication increases (Perkins, 2002). Moreover, a majority of college students (approximately 77%) have experienced negative consequences as a result of someone else’s drinking. Such consequences are known as the secondhand effects of alcohol consumption (Wechsler et al., 2002). The most common secondhand effects are being awakened during sleep, disrupted during study, having to take care of a drunk-sick friend, and being humiliated or insulted by someone who had been drinking (Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, & Lee, 2000). Additional secondhand effects experienced by students include fights, sexual assaults, property damage, and noise disruptions (Wechsler, 2002; Wechsler & Nelson, 2008). In addition to individual