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While it is generally assumed that alcohol consumption plays some role in the advent of negative sexual outcomes among college students (sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, and date rape), that role has not been empirically demonstrated or quantified. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of alcohol consumption with negative sexual outcomes in college women. Specifically, this study attempted to determine this association by means of a survey administered to a population of women students from Oregon State University and Western Oregon State College (n =430). Data collection took place during winter term, 1991. Average monthly alcohol consumption was assessed, as well as the frequency of alcohol consumption prior to sexual intercourse. The association of alcohol consumption with experiences of sexual coercion, in both the victim and the perpetrator, was also assessed. Negative sexual outcomes assessed were sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), unplanned pregnancies and pregnancy "scares", four categories of sexual coercion (unwanted touching, verbally forced date rape, physically forced date rape, and stranger rape), and unprotected intercourse (condom usage). A strong association between alcohol consumption and sexual coercion was found. Women who had experienced sexual coercion consumed significantly more alcohol on the average than those who had not had such experience. Also, it was found that alcohol was consumed by the perpetrator, the victim, or both in the majority (57-69%) of incidents of sexual coercion. While women who had experienced STDs appeared to drink more (mean monthly alcohol consumption= 16.9 drinks) than those who had not experienced STDs (mean monthly alcohol consumption= 12.3 drinks), small cell size and sample variability made meaningful statistical comparisons inappropriate. No association between alcohol consumption and unplanned pregnancies and pregnancy "scares" was found. Alcohol consumption prior to intercourse had a paradoxical relationship with both sexually transmitted diseases and condom usage: those who always or never drink prior to intercourse were less likely to experience an STD and more likely to use condoms than those who say they occasionally drink prior to intercourse. It is recommended that university health educators disseminate the findings on alcohol consumption and sexual coercion and STDs. It is also suggested that they, along with those responsible for student services and university policies, should encourage non-alcoholic forms of social support, stress management, and recreation on campus. An additional recommendation was that both qualitative research and longitudinal studies be done to follow up the exploration begun in this study. / Graduation date: 1992

The problem of the study was to investigate the relationship between college students' spirituality levels and their alcohol use. Using a 56-item questionnaire modified from three other instruments, a convenience sample of 438 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory Health Science course at Ball State University voluntarily completed the questionnaire in Spring semester 2005. Bivariate correlations indicated a statistically significant relationship between lower levels of alcohol use and higher levels of spirituality. Additionally, a statistically significant difference was found in the level of spirituality between males and females, Christians and Non-Christians, as well as in the drinking levels between students younger than 21 years of age and students 21 years of age and older. Results of this study conclude that the more spiritual college students are, the less likely they are to participate in unhealthy drinking behaviors. Based upon the findings and within the limitations of they study, spirituality seems to serve as a protective factor against alcohol use. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

This thesis interprets student culture as a vehicle to understanding college drinking. It presents the findings of an ethnographic study of college drinking culture as experienced by college women. Particular emphasis is placed on age and gender variations within the student culture which significantly impact drinking beliefs and behavior. The subject of this study is the meanings of drinking in student culture. The findings suggest that university alcohol policy should speak to and from student culture, rather than to and from university administrative values. Based on the meanings of drinking in student culture, suggestions are made toward formulating a more effective university alcohol policy. / Department of Anthropology

Alcohol use among male undergraduate students continues to be problematic. Most college drinkers started drinking in high school, but some begin even earlier; their college alcohol problem is just a continuation of earlier practices. The precise reasons that the college environment is particularly risky for alcohol use are not understood.The first and fourth year experience in college appear to be very different. This study has examined the drinking / non-drinking habits of first and fourth year Ball State male students who have or are presently living in the residence halls. There were five first-year and five fourth-year students who were asked questions in a qualitative interview format. Some of the issues which were covered included hangovers, tolerance, drinking games, and music.First and fourth year students act similarly in some areas, while there are significant differences in others. Drinking from the first to the fourth year seems to become progressively moderate. Drinking, and the consequences from drinking are most serious for freshmen and less serious for seniors and upperclass students.All of the respondents had a very high tolerance to alcohol. This was very puzzling considering that most students use their tolerance and the effect of hangovers to determine whether or not they are drinking responsibly. Therefore, because the respondents generally did not get hungover from a night of heavy drinking, they may think that their drinking is responsible, when it fact it may be causing unforeseen harm.Respondents drank for two specific positive reasons: (1) euphoria and (2) malebonding comradary experience. Many of the respondents stated they received some of their emotional and problem-solving support when they were drinking and talking with friends. Music also played an important role in the drinking experience. "Classic" rock and roll was popular among the respondents because of the rhythm and the pro-drug and pro-alcohol lyrics. Drinking games were looked upon as activities to make drinking even more convivial. They also contributed to the male-bonding experience whereby one would be surrounded by friends cheering them on to have another drink.In conclusion, alcohol is a significant problem on the college / university campus. The narrative suggests that although students experiences are individual, there are perceptions about alcohol which are common among many students. These commonalities can be used to provide effective educational programming to students in order to educate about responsible alcohol use. / Fisher Institute for Wellness

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of parental divorce, level of family conflict, and family history of alcoholism on the alcohol use patterns of college students. Gender differences were also explored. Multivariate Analysis of Variance revealed mixed results. Parental marital status was found to have no significant effect on college students' alcohol behavior. High family conflict had a significant impact on both level of current alcohol use and level of alcohol related problems. A positive family history of alcoholism was found to have effects on the level of alcohol related problems encountered by students. Gender played a significant role, with males reporting higher levels of alcohol-related problems. No significant interactions were found. Results, contributions and limitations of the study are discussed.

As many as 50% of full time students are employed for pay while enrolled in secondary education (Condition of Education; Planty et al., 2009). It is well documented that college is a vulnerable time for heavy drinking, and similarly, increased consumption among the workforce continues to rise. Student workers, who occupy both roles, therefore may be particularly at risk. The present research explored potential factors related to this stressful dual role experience, which was hypothesized to be related to increased alcohol consumption. One such factor proposed was the self-conscious emotion of shame. According to Hull's (1981) Self Awareness Model, individuals may drink to decrease levels of self-awareness in light of real or perceived failure or intensely negative emotional experiences. Based on this theory, both state and trait shame (shame-proneness) have been linked with alcohol consumption. In line with the literature, it was hypothesized that individuals higher in shame-proneness would report recent experiences of shame, as well higher levels of alcohol consumption. It was additionally proposed that this process might be exacerbated for individuals experiencing workplace role ambiguity. Role ambiguity obfuscates both the process necessary for achieving favorable work outcomes, as well as whether those outcomes are or are not actually achieved. Therefore, individuals experiencing high levels of role ambiguity may exist in a continuous experience of wondering if they are doing their jobs correctly or well. The relation between shame-proneness (a trait) and experiences of shame (a state) was proposed to be moderated by the experience of role ambiguity. The present study revealed, however, that there were no direct, indirect, or conditional effects. The discussion explores possible reasons for these outcomes, and offers thoughts regarding future research directions for further exploring these questions.

Many studies have explored the relationship of one's alcohol use both to family environment and to the drinking behavior of the parents. However, most of these studies have used clinical samples. The participants in this study were from a non-clinical, college undergraduate sample (N = 206). The sample included 69% females and 31% males who were primarily Caucasian.A causal path model was used to assess the relationships between familial alcohol use, the perceptions of family environment, propensity for substance use, and actual alcohol use. Participants completed the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) for themselves, their parents, and one sibling. Family environment measures completed by participants included: the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) to measure the "experience" of family alcohol use; the Family of Origin Scale (FOS) as a measure of the family affectional environment; and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales (FACES Ill) as a measure of family structural and relational factors. The MacAndrew Scale (MAC) was completed to assess the propensity for substance use.A path analysis of the proposed model indicated that family alcohol use did not exert a significant direct effect on propensity for or actual use of alcohol, nor did it exert any significant effect on the family affectional environment. Each of these is a rather surprising result and contrary to results of previous studies. However, family alcohol use significantly affected the "experience" of living in such a family environment, especially when alcohol use became more problematic. Family alcohol use, mediated by this "experience," had significant effects on family structural components of leadership and control, as measured by FACES III. The "experience" of family alcohol use was significantly and negatively related to the affectional environment of the family. The indirect effects of this "experience" were significant only through the control component of family structure and direct effects this "experience" were significant only for actual use of alcohol. Propensity for use and actual use were also significantly related as was expected.Nearly 50% of the sample indicated a propensity for use (MAC > 24), actual problematic use of alcohol (MAST > 5), or both, when using the standard cutoff scores of these instruments. It appears that further analysis of family influences on these behaviors, especially those behaviors that create difficulties in life, is warranted. Treatment approaches have typically maintained that improved family affective and relational environments are primary treatment goals. That the affectional environment of the family was not significantly affected by familial use of alcohol was another unexpected outcome and also warrants further study. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders is rapidly increasing among college students. The use of real time monitoring in conjunction with contingency management procedures to reduce alcohol consumption has only recently been developed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to learn more about natural patterns of alcohol consumption in college-aged adults. A second goal was to evaluate a novel, handheld technology for obtaining reliable samples over extended time periods. College students were given a SoberLinkTM SL2 breathalyzer for eight weeks to monitor their drinking behaviors and asked to self-report the number of drinks consumed each day. Participants received one to three text messages per day to provide breath samples and earned monetary rewards for submitting samples within the allotted time. The results of this study showed that college students tend to consume alcohol during the evening hours and mostly on the weekends. There was a weak to medium correlation between average breath alcohol concentration and conditional average drinks. Compliance with prompts ranged between 77 and 84 percent and monetary earnings ranged between $152 and $160. Naturalistic observations of college drinking may aid in the development of interventions to prevent excessive drinking and the SL2 breathalyzer may have great potential to be used in a number of therapeutic approaches.