Shame and guilt for alcohol-related transgressions and hazardous drinking among male and female college students

Objective: Shame and guilt are often present prior to and consequent to alcohol use among college students. Little is known about the propensity to experience these emotions in the context of transgressions that occur while drinking alcohol. We examined the association between shame and guilt propensity for alcohol-related transgressions with hazardous drinking, and the role of gender in these relationships. Participants: College student drinkers (N = 130; Mage=19.39; 68% females; 86% White) from a Mid-south college. Methods: An online confidential survey included measures of hazardous drinking, guilt and shame propensity, and guilt and shame propensity specific to alcohol-related transgressions. Results: Our preliminary findings suggest that experiencing guilt (but not shame) after alcohol-related transgressions was related to less hazardous drinking when controlling for general guilt and shame propensity for male and female students. Conclusions: Targeting components of guilt (e.g., reparative behaviors) after alcohol-related transgressions may help to reduce problematic drinking among college students.

Descriptive peer drinking norms and binge drinking: Enhancement motives as a mediator and alcohol resistance self-efficacy as a moderator

The association between descriptive norms regarding peer drinking and college students’ binge drinking has been established; however, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship among first-and second-year college students remain minimally explored. Drawing on social norms theory, motivational model of alcohol use, and the theory of normative social behavior, the current study investigated whether enhancement drinking motives mediated the relationship between descriptive norms regarding peer drinking and college students’ binge drinking, and whether this relationship was moderated by alcohol resistance self-efficacy. Five hundred and nineteen first-and second-year college students (M_age = 19.19 years, SD = 0.98) who were from four universities and had at least one time of heavy episodic drinking during the last year completed self-report questionnaires. After controlling for sex, age, and university variable, stronger descriptive norms regarding peer drinking were positively associated with a greater frequency of binge drinking. Enhancement drinking motives partially mediated the effects of descriptive peer drinking norms on binge drinking. Furthermore, alcohol resistance self-efficacy moderated the direct effects of descriptive peer drinking norms on binge drinking. Compared with college students who reported high alcohol resistance self-efficacy, the direct effects of descriptive peer drinking norms on binge drinking were stronger among students with low alcohol resistance self-efficacy. These findings point to the potential value of alcohol intervention approaches including efforts to help first-and second-year college students change enhancement drinking motives and increase their ability of resisting drinks in the context of pervasive peer drinking.

Uploading Risk: Examining the Social Profile of Young Adults Most Susceptible to Engagement in Risky Social Media Challenges

The aim of this study was to determine the social profile of individuals who are most at risk of engaging in risky social media challenges (RSMCs). Young adults (N = 331, 56.3 percent female) aged 18-25 years (M_age = 21.4) completed an online survey in which they indicated which RSMCs they had done (e.g., Cinnamon Challenge, Fire Challenge), and completed measures of social motives (i.e., need to belong, need for popularity, and fear of missing out [FoMO]) and perceived social status (i.e., popularity and peer belonging). Results demonstrated that almost half (48.3 percent) of participants had engaged in at least one RSMC. Furthermore, findings from a latent-class analysis revealed a three-class solution. Participants in Class 1 (stable social position, low social motives) had moderate-to-high probabilities for perceived popularity and peer belonging, but low probabilities for all three social motives. Participants in Class 2 (high perceived popularity and related concerns) had the highest probability for perceived popularity, need to be popular, and FoMO, and participants in Class 3 (high need to belong) had the highest probability for need to belong, but the lowest probabilities for need to be popular and perceived popularity. Although results differed somewhat by gender, overall, and in line with hypotheses, participants in Class 2 (high perceived popularity and related concerns) were most at risk for engagement in RSMCs. Thus, results suggest that engagement in RSMCs may be more about standing out and gaining online popularity and attention than about fitting in with peers. These findings contribute to a larger conversation about the provision of popularity markers on social media (likes, views) and their ability to shape young people's behavior.

Cheers to Equality! Both Hostile and Benevolent Sexism Predict Increases in College Women's Alcohol Consumption

Based on research suggesting that alcohol consumption can be used as a means of coping with negative affect (Cooper, Frone, Russell, & Mudar, 1995), the current study examines sexism as a factor in college women's alcohol consumption. Despite being more prevalent than hostile sexism, benevolent sexism is often viewed as less sexist (Oswald, Baalbaki, & Kirkman, 2018) and having a less aversive impact on women (Bosson, Pinel, & Vandello, 2010). To increase understanding of the negative effects of both hostile and benevolent sexism, the current study experimentally manipulated sexism during a lab session and measured 176 U.S. college women's actual alcohol consumption that evening. As predicted, college women who experienced either the hostile or the benevolent sexism condition reported consuming a greater number of alcoholic drinks, and those in the hostile sexism condition were more likely to meet the binge drinking threshold than participants in the control condition. This pattern suggests the importance of examining the unique effects of benevolent sexism in addition to hostile sexism because both may influence women's behavior even in important health domains. Given the many negative consequences associated with alcohol consumption, our results provide evidence for education on healthy coping mechanisms and interventions to reduce both hostile and benevolent sexism.

Perpetration of Alcohol-Related Aggression by Male and Female College Students: An Examination of Overt and Relational Aggression

Existing literature exemplifies the relationship between alcohol and overt aggression, especially for adult males. Less clear is the relationship between alcohol and aggression among male and female college students, in particular, the nature of this aggression and the co-occurrence of drinking and aggression on the same day (temporal proximity). This study examines the chronic and temporal nature of males' and females' alcohol-related aggression among college students. Two hundred fourteen students completed a web-based 7-day event-level survey measuring alcohol consumption and perpetration of physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and relational aggression over 4 weeks, resulting in 4,256 observations (days). The global analysis revealed students who are heavy drinkers are more likely to perpetrate all four forms of aggression, whereas the event-level analysis revealed that specific forms of aggression are associated with drinking at the time, while other forms were not linked to drinking occasions. Cross-tabulation revealed males and females were more likely to use verbal and physical aggression when drinking. For females, drinking was also associated with relational aggression and anger. Despite often being overlooked in research on aggression during emerging adulthood, relational aggression was prevalent. Discrepancies between the global and temporal analysis revealed factors other than alcohol might explain the relationship between chronic alcohol consumption and specific forms of aggression. This is one of the first event-level studies to show the temporal relationship between alcohol and relational aggression. The distinctions in the current study, exemplifying the diversity of alcohol-related aggression, are critical for understanding aggressive behavior, potential gender differences, and for developing interventions. The temporal relationship between alcohol and aggression suggests health interventions should target drinking and aggression simultaneously.

From Drinking Group Norms to Individual Drinking Consequences: A Moderated Mediation Model Examining the Role of Members' Status, Identification with the Group and with Emerging Adulthood

BACKGROUND

Emerging adults consume alcohol most often with their peer drinking groups. Yet, little is known about the role of drinking group norms on individual members' drinking consequences, nor about the mechanisms that underlie this association.

OBJECTIVES

We examined the indirect relationship between drinking group descriptive norms (perceived frequency of group heavy episodic drinking; HED) and individual drinking consequences via individual HED. We also examined key moderators, including the extent to which individuals occupied high status positions within their drinking groups, the strength of their identification with the group, and the degree to which they identified with emerging adulthood, a developmental period associated with heightened alcohol consumption.

METHODS

Participants were 280 and 340 (replication study) emerging adults (18-29 years) who were recruited via an online crowdsourcing site to complete a survey.

RESULTS

Across studies, higher status was associated with more individual HED and drinking consequences. Further, group identification and identification with emerging adulthood strengthened the relation between group and individual HED. Finally, the indirect relation between group HED and individual drinking consequences was significant and stronger for individuals who identified more with their drinking groups and with emerging adulthood. Conclusions/Importance: Findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the impact of descriptive peer norms on heavy drinking and related consequences in emerging adulthood and help identify drinking group members most at risk for internalizing descriptive group norms for HED. Key implications for prevention and intervention programming are discussed.