Dissertation
Predictors of alcohol problems among college students: The influence of Greek membership on coping motives for drinking
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
08/2010
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006018
Abstract
Alcohol misuse among college students has been the focus of a vast amount of literature for many years. Studies have documented current college binge drinking rates at approximately 40%. Moreover, many students report significant alcohol-related adverse consequences. Among college students, fraternity and sorority members have been found to have the highest rates of drinking and adverse consequences. Several risk factors to alcohol problems have been identified including pre-college drinking, perceived peer drinking norms, and positive expectancies of alcohol. A few studies have also linked anxious attachment as a potential contributor to problematic alcohol use through its impact on coping motives for drinking. However, these factors have not been tested simultaneously; therefore the unique contribution of each of these variables is unclear. Another unanswered question is whether these risk factors impact alcohol misuse differently among Greek affiliates as compared to non-Greek members. The purpose of the current study was to address these gaps in the literature by testing a path model of alcohol problems among Greek and non-Greek affiliates. Results provided support for a path model containing anxious attachment, high school drinking, positive expectancies, and perceived drinking norms as independent predictors of alcohol problems through their impact on coping motives for drinking, and alcohol consumption. Multiple group analyses revealed that coping motives was more predictive of alcohol problems among Greek affiliates than non-Greek members. Marginal support was found for alcohol consumption serving as a stronger mediator of negative consequences among non-Greek members. These findings suggest that while it is important to focus intervention efforts on reducing heavy drinking, addressing other contributing variables such as the use of alcohol to cope with negative emotions may be necessary in order to reduce alcohol problems among college campuses, especially within the Greek system.
Metrics
4 File views/ downloads
15 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Predictors of alcohol problems among college students
- Creators
- Dina Olave Wirick
- Contributors
- Paul Kwon (Chair)G Leonard Burns (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of PsychologyMaria Gartstein (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of Psychology
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Psychology
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 65
- Identifiers
- 99901055120101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation