Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only.College students frequently engage in patterns of problematic drinking which are
associated with negative consequences (Osberg et al., 2010). However, intervention strategies
have been shown to be ineffective (Henson et al., 2015). Prediction models include
environmental factors, drinking motives, disinhibition, and negative affectivity with evidence
suggesting that demoralization may be a factor (Moser et al., 2014). Thus, the current study
examined if demoralization explained additional variance in problematic drinking not captured
by current models. Participants were 334 midwestern college students (MAge = 18.8, SDage = 1.27,
72.2% women, 84.4% White) who completed measures of the aforementioned risk factors,
demographics, and various drinking behaviors. Results of a linear regression, R2 = .42, indicated
that disinhibition, = .35, coping motives, = .26, and enhancement motives, = .15, predicted
disordered drinking. Results of a logistic regression indicated that coping motives, Exp B = 1.19,
enhancement motives, Exp B = 1.16, and disinhibition, Exp B = 1.15, predicted binge drinking,
Cox & Snell Pseudo R2 = .22. Coping motives, Exp B = 1.29, and enhancement motives, Exp B =
1.24, predicted risky drinking, Cox & Snell Pseudo R2 = .15. Disinhibition, Exp B = 1.11, and
enhancement motives, Exp B = .91, predicted early onset drinking. Demoralization was not a
significant predictor of problematic drinking. Results replicate past research supporting
disinhibition, enhancement motives, and coping motives as robust predictors of problematic
drinking (Sayette, 2017). However, support for other risk factors was not replicated. Findings
suggest that patterns of problematic drinking may have distinct predictors. Further, the
replication of disinhibition, enhancement motives, and coping motives implies that future
research should examine if providing examples of adaptive reward and sensation seeking
behaviors, and emotion regulation strategies could help to increase treatment efficacy.
Limitations and future directions are discussed.Thesis (M.S.
