Implicit and Explicit Alcohol-Related Motivations among College Binge Drinkers

Rationale: Positive alcohol outcome expectancies and behavioral economic indices of alcohol consumption are related to binge drinking among college students and may reflect explicit and implicit motivations that are differentially associated with this behavior. Objectives: The present study hypothesized that implicit (alcohol purchase task) and explicit (positive expectancy for alcohol’s effects) motivations for drinking would not be correlated. It was also hypothesized that greater implicit and explicit motivations would predict alcohol-related risk. Methods: Participants were 297 college student binge drinkers (54% female; 88% European-American; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: M = 9.53, SD = 5.04). Three indices from the alcohol purchase task (APT) were modeled as a latent implicit alcohol-related motivations variable. Explicit alcohol-related motivations were measured using a global positive expectancy subscale from the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test total, Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index total, and age of drinking onset were modeled as a latent alcohol-related risk variable. Structural equation modeling was used to examine associations among implicit motivations, explicit motivations, and alcohol-related risk. Results: Implicit and explicit motivations were not correlated. Partially consistent with the second hypothesis, greater implicit motivations were associated with greater alcohol-related risk. Relations between explicit motivations and alcohol-related risk were marginally significant. Conclusions: Implicit and explicit drinking motivations are differentially associated with problem drinking behaviors. Future research should examine the underlying neurobiological mechanisms associated with these factors

Personality and Psychosocial Factors of College Drinking Amount and Frequency

Despite laws in every State that make it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to purchase or possess alcohol, young people report that alcohol is easy to obtain and that many high school and college students drink with one goal – to get drunk. Binge drinking is defined as consuming six or more drinks in a row for boys and four or more in a row for girls. In this exploratory research, several articles were gathered in order to integrate previous findings in the current study. One factor that was looked at in the current study was if age of first drink had an impact on college drinking amount and frequency. In a study by Grigar (2002), age when participants first drank and age of first intoxication predicted the level of alcohol related consequences. This research demonstrates as age of first drink decreases, alcohol-related problems such as binge drinking increases. Rush, Becker and Curry (2009) found elevated rates of comorbidity between binge eating and alcohol related problems. Alcohol use problems and their associations with neuroticism were discussed. Using the Five Factor Model, the authors assessed comprehensive personality factors and style of impulse control, a personality style defined by different combinations of neuroticism and conscientiousness. Those who were in the binge drinkers and eaters group reported a higher level of neuroticism than others. This finding supports the suggestion that neuroticism is positively related to amount and frequency of binge drinking. Student’s perception of the number of friends who drink and college drinking amount and frequency were also investigated in the recent study. In a study by Miley and Frank (2006), investigated whether there was a relationship between the amount of alcohol students drank themselves and the amount they believed other students drank. Results indicated students who drank more than five drinks at a setting believed other college students drank more than students who drank less. In particular, male college students, on-campus students, and sorority students perceived other college students drinking more than they actually did. This shows that, as proportion of friends who drink increases, college drinking amount and frequency increase. In a study by Jones, Oeltmann, Wilson, Brener and Hill (2001) the relationship between miscellaneous substance use and binge drinking was investigated. Results showed that students who binge drank more often were more likely to have used cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs. These students were also more likely to report current use of cigarettes and marijuana. This demonstrates a positive relationship between binge drinking and experimental drug use. Drinking to cope in relationship to quantity and frequency of alcohol intake was discussed in a study by Stewart, Morris, Mellings, and Komar (2006). Correlational analyses (controlling for gender) revealed that: (a) social avoidance and distress was significantly negatively related to drinking frequency; (b) fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance and distress were both significantly positively related to drinking to cope with negative emotions and to conform to peer pressure; and (c) fear of negative evaluation was also significantly positively related to drinking to socialize and to drinking problems. This study supports the suggestion that the more reasons a person has to use substances as a coping mechanism the more often and in higher amounts will they drink. The current study examines binge drinking amount and frequency as they relate to proportion of friends who drink, neuroticism, use of substances to cope, experimental drug use and age of first drink between genders. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between these potential predictors and how and to what extent they affect male and female college binge drinking amount and frequency

Implicit and Explicit Alcohol-Related Motivations among College Binge Drinkers

Rationale: Positive alcohol outcome expectancies and behavioral economic indices of alcohol consumption are related to binge drinking among college students and may reflect explicit and implicit motivations that are differentially associated with this behavior. Objectives: The present study hypothesized that implicit (alcohol purchase task) and explicit (positive expectancy for alcohol’s effects) motivations for drinking would not be correlated. It was also hypothesized that greater implicit and explicit motivations would predict alcohol-related risk. Methods: Participants were 297 college student binge drinkers (54% female; 88% European-American; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: M = 9.53, SD = 5.04). Three indices from the alcohol purchase task (APT) were modeled as a latent implicit alcohol-related motivations variable. Explicit alcohol-related motivations were measured using a global positive expectancy subscale from the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test total, Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index total, and age of drinking onset were modeled as a latent alcohol-related risk variable. Structural equation modeling was used to examine associations among implicit motivations, explicit motivations, and alcohol-related risk. Results: Implicit and explicit motivations were not correlated. Partially consistent with the second hypothesis, greater implicit motivations were associated with greater alcohol-related risk. Relations between explicit motivations and alcohol-related risk were marginally significant. Conclusions: Implicit and explicit drinking motivations are differentially associated with problem drinking behaviors. Future research should examine the underlying neurobiological mechanisms associated with these factors