The Role of Global Mental Health and Type-D Personality in Predicting Alcohol Use Among a Sample of College Students

Understanding the associations between personality traits and the frequency of alcohol intoxication in young males and females: Findings from the United Kingdom

The problem of alcohol intoxication is growing and expanding worldwide, which has numerous adverse health and psychological consequences. Thus, it is unsurprising that there are so many efforts made toward underlying the psychological determinants of alcohol intoxication. While some research found that the belief in drinking is important, other research considers personality traits as a risk factor for alcohol consumption and intoxication, which is backed by empirical evidence. However, previous studies classified individuals as binge drinkers or non-binge drinkers (i.e., binary). Thus, it remains unclear how the Big Five personality traits may relate to the frequency of alcohol intoxication in young people aged between 16 and 21 years old, who are more vulnerable to alcohol intoxication. By using two ordinal logistic regressions on 656 young males with a mean age of 18.50±1.63 years old and 630 female drinkers with a mean age of 18.49±1.55 years old who have ever been intoxicated during the past four weeks from Wave 3 (collected via face-to-face interviews or online surveys between 2011 and 2012) UKHLS (United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study), the current research found that Extraversion has a positive association with the frequency of alcohol intoxication in both male (OR = 1.35, p < 0.01, 95 % C.I. [1.13, 1.61]) and female (OR = 1.29, p = 0.01, 95 % C.I. [1.06, 1.57]) drinkers whereas only Conscientiousness (OR = 0.75, p < 0.01, 95 % C.I. [0.61, 0.91]) is negatively connected to the frequency of alcohol intoxication in female drinkers.

Longitudinal changes in alcohol use and binge-drinking among young-adult college students: Analyses of predictors across system levels

BACKGROUND

Longitudinal research regarding young-adult college student alcohol use behaviors is needed to identify risk factors and inform interventions, particularly with regard to binge-drinking.

METHODS

Data from 3,418 US college students (aged 18-25) in a two-year, six-wave panel study (64.6% female, 63.4% White) were used to examine alcohol use and binge-drinking trajectories, as well as predictors of differing trajectories across individual (sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, ADHD symptoms, early-onset substance use), interpersonal (adverse childhood events, social support, parental substance use), and community factors (college type, rural/urban).

RESULTS

Baseline alcohol use was associated with being White, higher parental education, early-onset use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana, greater social support, parental alcohol use, attending private institutions, and rurality (p's < 0.01). Greater alcohol use over time was predicted by being White and attending private institutions (p's < 0.01). Multivariable regression indicated that predictors of binge-drinking at any assessment included older age, sexual minority, greater ADHD symptoms, early-onset substance use, parental alcohol use, attending private institutions, and rurality (p's < 0.01). GMM indicated 4 binge-drinking trajectory classes: Dabblers (89.94% of the sample), Slow decelerators (7.35%), Accelerators (1.86%), and Fast decelerators (0.84%). Fast and Slow decelerators were older; Dabblers and Fast decelerators were more likely female; Accelerators reported more depressive symptoms; Dabblers were less likely early-onset substance users; and those from rural settings were more likely Slow decelerators vs. Dabblers (p's < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Intervention efforts should be informed by data regarding those most likely to drink, binge-drink, and escalate use (e.g., Whites, men, early-onset users, parental use, private college students, rural).

Personality Traits Related to Binge Drinking: A Systematic Review

The pattern of alcohol consumption in the form of binge drinking (BD) or heavy episodic drinking has increased notably worldwide in recent years, especially among adolescent and young people, being currently recognized as a global health problem. Although only a minority of binge drinkers will develop a substance use disorder, BD may have negative personal and social consequences in the short and medium term. The objective of this article is to review the findings on personality traits related to binge drinkers and to emphasize the aspects that should be examined in order to make progress in this area. The main characteristics of personality related to the practice of BD, regardless of the theoretical model used, are high Impulsivity and high Sensation seeking, as well as Anxiety sensitivity, Neuroticism (Hopelessness), Extraversion and low Conscientiousness. The data obtained may have theoretical implications to elucidate the endophenotype of BD, but they are especially useful for their preventive applications. Integration into prevention programs of emotional self-control skills, decision-making, social skills, and strategies to manage negative emotions will minimize the risk factors or consequences of BD associated with personality and will improve their effectiveness. In the future, it is necessary to harmonize a common measurement instrument for the assessment of personality, develop longitudinal studies with large samples that also integrate biological and neurocognitive measurements, and determine the reciprocal relationship between personality and BD together with its modulating variables, as well as the possible cultural differences.