The high prevalence of heavy alcohol use and its associated consequences in college student populations has been well documented. Studies of adolescent alcohol use patterns show that alcohol-related problems are a function of level of alcohol consumption as well as of other factors, including gender and social learning influences. Although there is evidence that peer influences extend to alcohol-related problems, the role of parent influences in the negative consequences of alcohol use and the potential moderating role of gender in these relationships remains unclear. This study sought to answer the following questions. First, do parent and friend influences extend to the alcohol-related problems of college freshmen, and if so, is their effect mediated by level of alcohol consumption? Second, does gender moderate the relationships between parent and friend influences and alcohol-related problems or between alcohol use and alcohol-related problems? Participants were 260 incoming freshmen (nondrinkers were excluded from analyses) who completed a mail-distributed questionnaire during the first two weeks on campus (Time 1) and two weeks before final exams of the fall semester (Time 2) in exchange for a nominal incentive. Results revealed both direct and indirect paths from Time 1 friend influence variables to Time 2 alcohol-related problems, but parent influences failed to show a relationship with the criterion. Mediation by Time 2 frequency of binge drinking was stronger for perceptions of alcohol use versus perceptions of alcohol acceptability and when predicting moderate versus severe alcohol-related problems. Male participants reported more frequent binge drinking and higher rates of severe alcohol-related problems, but gender did not moderate the effects of friend influences or frequency of binge drinking on alcohol-related problems This study shows that alcohol consumption partially mediates the relationships between friend influences and alcohol-related problems, but that gender does not moderate these pathways, despite its main effects on alcohol consumption and severe alcohol-related problems. Findings suggest that alcohol-related problems of college freshmen are a function of their intoxication, but also of their perceptions of friends' alcohol acceptability and use that may influence their expectations and norms for alcohol use behavior and/or reflect a behavioral disposition towards risk-taking behavior / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_27127 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Contributors | Allison, Germaine C (Author), McGrath, Melanie L (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds