Sociodemographic Correlates, Part 2. Psychosocial Correlates of Heavy Drinking

by National Institute of Health

(Page 3 of 4)

College Status

Some argue that the college campus environment itself encourages heavy drinking. Alcohol use is present at most college social functions, and many students view college as a place to drink excessively. Students experience greater exposure to drinking and encounter higher levels of peer drinking and positive attitudes toward alcohol as they transition from high school to college.

Although much of the research targeting emerging adulthood has focused on college students, several studies have noted that heavy drinking and related problems are pervasive among people in their early twenties, regardless of college attendance. Comparing several national data sets, O'Malley and Johnston reported that college students drink less frequently than their noncollege peers (i.e., they report lower rates of daily drinking). However, when students do drink, they tend to drink in greater quantities than nonstudents. In addition, college students report higher rates of current drinking (past 30 days).

In contrast, White and colleagues found that quantity and frequency of drinking in the past year, number of times intoxicated in the past year, and rates of drinking problems (the frequency of experiencing negative consequences related to alcohol use) in the past year did not differ significantly for college students and their nonstudent peers during their early twenties (i.e., emerging adulthood). However, noncollege drinkers reported higher levels of alcohol-related problems in late adolescence (age 18) and young adulthood (age 30) than college student drinkers. In other words, students matured out of drinking problems more quickly than nonstudents. Rates of alcohol dependence diagnosis appear lower for college students than for 18- to 24-year-olds in the general population. Further, people in their thirties who did not go to college reported a higher prevalence of heavy drinking episodes (defined as drinking six or more drinks on one occasion during the last 30 days) than people who did go to college.

Bachman and colleagues found that college students, compared with their nonstudent peers, reported lower rates of heavy drinking while in high school but then increased their use in college to higher levels than their nonstudent peers. The authors concluded that living arrangements particularly contributed to the college effect. For example, living in dormitories increased the risks for heavy drinking, whereas living with a spouse (i.e., being married) decreased the risks. Overall, the drinking differences between college students and nonstudents were fully accounted for by background characteristics and by where and with whom people lived.

Employment

Bachman and colleagues reported that people who obtained full-time civilian employment after high school showed a slight increase in current drinking (past 30 days) and a slight decrease in heavy drinking. In contrast, those who joined the military reported greater than average increases in current drinking and in heavy drinking. These changes persisted when other variables were controlled, suggesting that the military experience contributes to increased alcohol use. Unemployed men, but not women, significantly reduced their drinking. Homemakers also reduced their current and heavy drinking, but the authors suggest that this change was a result of their marital and parental status rather than the role of being a homemaker.

Psychosocial Correlates of Heavy Drinking Among Emerging Adults

Many psychological and social factors influence alcohol use among emerging adults. As described in this section, these factors have been studied most often in college students.

Impulsivity, Sensation-Seeking, and Risk-Taking

One of the most consistent predictors of substance use among adolescents and emerging adults is sensation-seeking, defined as the pursuit of novel and intense experiences. In fact, sensation-seeking increases as young people develop from adolescents into emerging adults. Measures of impulsivity and sensation-seeking among emerging adults have been related to higher frequency and quantity of drinking and to experiencing more negative alcohol-related consequences. Sensation-seeking and impulsivity also have been linked to deviant behavior and nonconformity, both of which are predictors of heavy drinking and related problems among youth.

Optimism is an almost universal trait among emerging adults. Because of their optimistic bias, many emerging adults do not see themselves as vulnerable to any negative consequences that might occur because of drinking, such as having an accident or becoming dependent on alcohol. Thus, emerging adults are more likely to take risks and to drink excessively, although risk-taking may not be the impetus for their drinking. In other words, the decision to drink is more influenced by the perceived benefits of drinking (i.e., positive expectations of the effects of alcohol) than by the perceived risks.

Negative Affect

The findings regarding the association between negative mood and problematic alcohol use during emerging adulthood have been inconsistent. Most studies examining this association have relied on samples of college students, who report relatively better levels of overall mental health than do nonstudents. Nevertheless, extremely high levels of negative affect, as seen in anxiety disorders, are associated with problem drinking in college students. Jackson and Sher found that alcohol use disorders were associated with psychological distress, as measured by past-week physiological and psychological functioning and symptoms, among 18- to 29-year-olds who functioned well in most areas of their lives. Research has suggested that some people drink to regulate emotional distress. In support of this, Cooper and colleagues found that drinking to cope with negative affect predicted heavy drinking (a composite of drinking to intoxication and drinking five or more drinks) as well as drinking problems in 19- to 25-year-olds. However, emerging adults are more likely to drink for "positive" or celebratory reasons than to drink to cope with negative feelings.

About the Author

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