Sociodemographic, behavioral, and cognitive predictors of alcohol-impaired driving in a sample of U.S. college students

Social Support and the Rehabilitation of Alcohol-Impaired Drivers: Drinking Motives as Moderators

Alcohol-impaired driving is a common and costly public health problem associated with alcohol misuse. This investigation aims to understand the role of social support and drinking motives in motivating alcohol-impaired drivers to reduce alcohol use. One hundred nineteen participants with a history of driving-while-intoxicated arrest were recruited from either a correctional treatment facility (n = 59) or the community (n = 60) and asked about their motivation to change alcohol use. Motivation to change was tested in relationships with two types of social support (i.e. Abstinence-Specific Social Support and General Social Support) and drinking motives (Coping, Enhancement, and Social Motives). The results showed: (1) only Abstinence-Specific Social Support was positively associated with motivation to change; (2) Coping and Social Motives had a negative association with motivation to change; (3) the impact of Abstinence-Specific Social Support on motivation to change was greater among those with a stronger Enhancement Motives. In other words, those who drink primarily for pleasure showed a greater increase in motivation to change when more Abstinence-Specific Social Support is available, compared to those with lower Enhancement Motives. The findings of this investigation contribute to our knowledge of the roles of communication in the rehabilitation of alcohol-impaired drivers.

Context and culture: Reasons young adults drink and drive in rural America

Montana, a large and rural U.S. state, has a motor vehicle fatality rate almost double the national average. For young adults, the alcohol-related motor vehicle fatality rate in the state is almost three times the national average. Yet little research has explored the underlying reasons that young people in rural areas drink and drive. Drawing from the theory of triadic influence (TTI) and a series of qualitative focus group discussions, the current study examined how aspects of the landscape and culture of rural America promote and hinder drinking and driving among young people. In 2015 and 2016, 72 young adults (36 females) aged 18-25 years old (mean age = 20.2) participated in 11 semi-structured focus groups in 8 rural counties in Montana. Discussions were transcribed, and two reviewers independently coded text segments. Themes were identified and an inductive explanatory model was created. The results demonstrated that aspects of the social context (e.g., peer pressure and parental modeling), rural cultural values (e.g., independence, stoicism, and social cohesion), and the legal and physical environment (e.g., minimal police presence, sparse population, and no alternative transportation) promoted drinking and driving. The results also identified salient protective factors in each of these domains. Our findings demonstrate the importance of examining underlying distal determinants of drinking and driving. Furthermore, they suggest that future research and interventions should consider the complex ways in which cultural values and environmental factors intersect to shape the risky health behaviors of rural populations.

Drug and Alcohol-Related Crime Among University Students

The aim of the article is to determine the approximate prevalence of drug and alcohol-related crime among university students in seven universities in the United Kingdom and to assess whether there are differences between substance users who offend and substance users who do not offend. In total, 7,855 students submitted a questionnaire. The results of the study show that 10% of students who used drugs and about the same percentage who used alcohol had committed substance-related crimes in the current academic year. The most prolific offenders in relation to both drug and alcohol-related offending were males, those who frequently went out to socialise, frequent users of nightclubs off campus, and those in poor physical or mental health. The article proposes that preventative interventions should be used to address alcohol and drug-related crime and its consequences.

Explicit Attitudes, Working Memory Capacity, and Driving After Drinking

BACKGROUND

Attitudes toward driving after drinking are strongly predictive of drinking and driving behavior. This study tested working memory capacity (WMC) as a moderator of the association between attitudes and drinking and driving behavior. Consistent with dual process models of cognition, we hypothesized that the association between perceived danger and drinking and driving would be stronger for individuals with higher WMC.

METHODS

Participants (N = 161) enrolled in larger alcohol administration study were randomly assigned to an alcohol (n = 57), placebol (n = 52), or control (n = 52, not included) beverage condition. Past-year frequency of driving after drinking and WMC were assessed at baseline. Attitudes were assessed by asking participants to rate the perceived danger of driving at their current level of intoxication twice on the ascending limb (AL1, AL2), at peak breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), and twice on the descending limb (DL1, DL2).

RESULTS

Analyses across the BrAC curve indicated that the hypothesized interaction was observed for the alcohol but not placebo condition. Analyses for each assessment point indicated that the interaction was significant for the ascending limb and peak BrAC. In the alcohol condition, for those higher in WMC, lower perceived dangerousness was strongly associated with increased driving after drinking (AL1: incident rate ratios [IRR] = 5.87, Wald's χ²  = 12.39, p = 0.006, 95% CI [2.19, 15.75]; AL2: IRR = 8.17, Wald's χ²  = 11.39, p = 0.001, 95% CI [2.41, 27.66]; Peak: IRR = 5.11, Wald's χ²  = 9.84, p = 0.002, 95% CI [1.84, 14.16]). Associations were not significant at low WMC.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that individuals higher in WMC are more likely to act consistently with their explicit attitudes toward drinking and driving. Findings may have implications for existing drinking and driving interventions and suggest the potential for novel interventions targeting implicit associations or WMC.

Continuity of drunk and drugged driving behaviors four years post-college

BACKGROUND

Driving under the influence of alcohol is a leading cause of injury and premature death among young adults, and college-educated individuals are at particularly high risk. Less is known about driving under the influence of other drugs, which is on the rise.

METHOD

This study describes prospective seven-year trends in alcohol and other drug (AOD)-involved driving among a young-adult sample beginning with their second year of college (i.e., Years 2-8), and documents the extent of continuity in such behaviors across time. Originally recruited as incoming first-year students at one large public university, participants (n=1194) were interviewed annually about how frequently they drove while drunk/intoxicated (DWI), after drinking any alcohol (DAD), and/or while under the influence of other drugs (DD). Follow-up rates were high (>75% annually).

RESULTS

Among participants with access to drive a car, annual prevalence peaked in Year 4 (modal age 21) for both DWI (24.3%_wt) and DD (19.1%_wt) and declined significantly thereafter through Year 8 (both ps<0.05). DAD was far more prevalent than DWI or DD, increasing from 40.5%_wt in Year 2 to 66.9%_wt in Year 5, and plateauing thereafter. Among marijuana-using participants, likelihood of DD was consistently greater than the likelihood of DWI among Heavy Episodic and Light-to-Moderate drinkers, and it declined significantly during Years 5-8 (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Post-college declines in heavy drinking and DWI prevalence were encouraging but did not necessarily translate to reductions in likelihood of engaging in DWI, depending on drinking pattern. College-educated individuals represent an important target for AOD-involved driving prevention.

Intention to Drive After Drinking Among Medical Students: Contributions of the Protection Motivation Theory

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate whether cognitive variables proposed by the protection motivation theory (PMT) were predictive of occasional and frequent intention to drive after drinking in medical students.

METHODS

One hundred fifty-five students attending preclinical years at a Medical School in São Paulo, Brazil, participated in the study. They were asked about their last month substance use, history of drinking and driving, including driving after binge drinking, and risk perceptions based on a self-report questionnaire with statements about protection motivation, threat, and coping appraisals from the PMT model.

RESULTS

Fifty-two students (33%) had previous experience of driving after drinking during the last year, and 54 students (35%) reported intention to drive after drinking within the next year. Regression analysis showed that higher scores in perception of personal vulnerability to risks were associated with occasional and frequent intention to continue pursuing this particular behavior. Poorer evaluations about short-term consequences of alcohol consumption and cognitions regarding external rewards were significantly associated with reported intention to continue driving after drinking.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the social and health impact of alcohol-impaired behaviors, our findings suggest the need of interventional efforts focused in increasing students' awareness about the negative consequences of drinking and driving aiming to enhance their motivation towards more adaptive behaviors.

Prevalence and correlates of drink driving within patrons of Australian night-time entertainment precincts

BACKGROUND

Drink driving is a significant public health concern, and contributes to many road fatalities worldwide. The current study is the first to examine the prevalence and correlates of drink driving behavior in a sample of night-time entertainment precinct attendees in Australia.

METHODS

Interviews were conducted with 4214 night-time entertainment precinct attendees in two metropolitan and three regional cities in Australia. Seven correlates of self-reported drink driving were examined: gender, age, occupation, blood alcohol concentration (BAC), alcohol consumed prior to attending a licensed venue, energy drink consumption, and other drug consumption.

RESULTS

Fourteen percent of night-time entertainment precinct attendees reported drink driving in the past three months. Bivariate logistic regression models indicated that males were significantly more likely than females to report drink driving in the past three months. Blue-collar workers and sales/clerical/administrative workers were significantly more likely to report drink driving behavior in the past three months than white-collar workers. The likelihood of reporting drink driving during the three months prior to interview significantly increased as BAC on the current night out increased, and when patrons reported engaging in pre-drinking or other drug use. The multivariate model presented a similar pattern of results, however BAC and pre-drinking on the night of the interview were no longer independent significant predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

Males, blue collar/sales/clerical/administrative workers, and illicit drug consumers were more likely to report engaging in drink driving behavior than their counterparts. Interventions should focus on addressing the considerable proportion night-time entertainment precinct attendees who report engaging in drink driving behavior.

Brief Motivational Interventions Are Associated With Reductions in Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among College Drinkers

OBJECTIVE

Alcohol-impaired (AI) driving among college students remains a significant public health concern and may be the single most risky drinking outcome among young adults. Brief motivational interventions (BMIs) have been shown to reduce alcohol use and problems, but their specific efficacy for decreasing AI driving among college students is unknown. The present study analyzed data from three randomized controlled trials of BMI (Murphy et al., 2010: n = 74; Borsari et al., 2012: n = 530; and Martens et al., 2013: n = 365) to evaluate whether BMIs are associated with reductions in AI driving among college student drinkers.

METHOD

Participants in all three studies were randomized to BMI or control conditions. Participants reported whether they had driven under the influence (yes/no) following the BMI over the follow-up period.

RESULTS

Separate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted for each study. For Studies 1 and 2, these analyses revealed that a BMI was significantly associated with reductions in AI driving at the final (6-month and 9-month, respectively) follow-up compared with the control condition. For Study 3, analyses revealed that a single-component BMI focused on the correction of misperceptions of descriptive norms was significantly associated with reductions in AI driving compared with the control group at the final (6-month) followup, whereas a single-component BMI focused on the use of protective behavioral strategies was not. Change in drinking level did not mediate the relationship between the condition and the change in AI driving.

CONCLUSIONS

Counselor-administered BMIs that include descriptive normative feedback are associated with significant reductions in AI driving compared with control.

Effects of acute alcohol tolerance on perceptions of danger and willingness to drive after drinking

RATIONALE

Drinking and driving is associated with elevated rates of motor vehicle accidents and fatalities. Previous research suggests that alcohol impairs judgments about the dangers of risky behaviors; however, how alcohol affects driving-related judgments is less clear. Impairments have also been shown to differ across limbs of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) curve, which is known as acute tolerance.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to examine whether perceptions about the dangerousness of driving after drinking and willingness to drive differed across the ascending and descending limbs of the BAC curve and to test whether reductions in perceived danger were associated with willingness to drive on the descending limb.

METHODS

Fifty-six participants were randomly assigned to receive either a moderate dose of alcohol (peak BAC = 0.10 g%) or placebo. We assessed perceived dangerousness and willingness to drive at matched BACs (~0.067-0.068 g%) on the ascending and descending limbs.

RESULTS

Both perceived danger and willingness to drive showed acute tolerance in the alcohol group. Participants judged driving to be significantly less dangerous and were more willing to drive on the descending limb compared to the ascending limb. The magnitude of change in perceived danger significantly predicted willingness to drive on the descending limb.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased impairment associated with acute tolerance may lead individuals to underestimate the dangerousness of driving after drinking and in turn make poor decisions regarding driving. This study further emphasizes the descending limb as a period of increased risk and offers support for enhancing prevention efforts by targeting drivers at declining BAC levels.

Elevated alcohol demand is associated with driving after drinking among college student binge drinkers

BACKGROUND

Alcohol-impaired driving among college students represents a significant public health concern, yet little is known about specific theoretical and individual difference risk factors for driving after drinking among heavy drinking college students. This study evaluated the hypothesis that heavy drinkers with elevated alcohol demand would be more likely to report drinking and driving.

METHOD

Participants were 207 college students who reported at least 1 heavy drinking episode (4/5 or more drinks in 1 occasion for a woman/man) in the past month. Participants completed an alcohol purchase task that assessed hypothetical alcohol consumption across 17 drink prices and an item from the Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire that assessed driving after drinking.

RESULTS

In binary logistic regression models that controlled for drinking level, gender, ethnicity, age, and sensation seeking, participants who reported higher demand were more likely to report driving after drinking.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide support for behavioral economics models of substance abuse that view elevated/inelastic demand as a key etiological feature of substance misuse.

Perceived danger while intoxicated uniquely contributes to driving after drinking

BACKGROUND

Previous findings suggest that alcohol alters perceptions of risky behaviors such as drinking and driving. However, studies testing these perceptions as a predictor of drinking and driving typically measure these perceptions while participants are sober. This study tested whether the perceived danger of driving after drinking assessed while intoxicated was associated with increased willingness to drive and self-reported drinking-and-driving behavior over and above perceptions assessed while sober. Additionally, we tested the effect of acute tolerance on the perceived danger of driving after drinking assessed on the ascending and descending limbs of the breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) curve.

METHODS

Eighty-two young adults attended 2 counterbalanced laboratory sessions. In one session, participants consumed a moderate dose of alcohol (men: 0.72 g/kg, women: 0.65 g/kg) and reported their perceived danger of driving and willingness to drive at multiple points across the BrAC curve. On a separate occasion, participants remained sober and appraised the dangerousness of driving at a hypothetical, illegal BrAC.

RESULTS

Perceptions of the dangerousness of driving following alcohol administration were associated with increased willingness to drive and higher rates of self-reported drinking-and-driving behavior over and above perceptions reported when sober. Furthermore, perceived danger was reduced on the descending limb of the BrAC curve, compared with the ascending limb, suggesting the occurrence of acute tolerance.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this study suggest that intoxicated perceptions are uniquely associated with drinking-and-driving decisions and that the perceived danger of drinking and driving is lower on the descending limb of the BrAC curve. Efforts to prevent alcohol-impaired driving have focused on increasing awareness of the danger of driving after drinking. Prevention efforts may be enhanced by educating drivers about how intoxication can alter perceived danger, and interventions may benefit from targeting perceptions of dangerousness while individuals are intoxicated in addition to when they are sober.

Correlates of drug use and driving among undergraduate college students

OBJECTIVE

Drug use by drivers is a significant and growing highway safety problem. College students are an important population to understand drugged driving. The objective of this study was to examine correlates of drugged driving among undergraduate college students.

METHODS

We conducted an anonymous, confidential, 24-question survey at a large New England public university during the 2010-2011 academic year among undergraduates in courses that met a graduation requirement. Data include demographics; academics; housing status; lifestyle; personal values; high school/college drug use; and driving following alcohol use, drug use, or both; and as a passenger with a driver who used alcohol, drugs, or both. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Chi-square tests compared driver alcohol use, drug use, or both with demographic, academic, and lifestyle variables. Logistic regression analyses were performed with drugged driving as the dependent variable. Odds ratios and corresponding 95 percent confidence intervals were calculated for each of the potential explanatory variables in relation to the outcome.

RESULTS

Four hundred forty-four of 675 students completed surveys (66% participation rate). Participants were representative of the student body with a mean age of 19.4 (±1.3 years), 51 percent male, 75 percent white, and 10 percent Hispanic. Seventy-eight percent lived on campus, 93 percent had a driver's license, and 37 percent had access to a car. Students disagreed that cannabinoids impair driving (18%) compared to other drugs (17%), stimulants (13%), depressants (11%), hallucinogens (8%), and alcohol (7%). Twenty-three percent drove after alcohol use and 22 percent drove after drug use. Forty-one percent reported having been a passenger with a driver who had been drinking and 37 percent with a driver using drugs. Drugged driving was more likely among males vs. females (30% vs. 14%, P < .01), those living off campus (34% vs. 19%, P < .01), those reporting that parties are important (33% vs. 14%, P < .01), those reporting that community service is not important (28% vs. 18%, P < .05), those reporting that religion is not important (28% vs. 14%, P < .01), and those reporting personal drug use in high school (75% vs. 14%, P < .01) and well as that their best friends used drugs in high school (42% vs. 12%, P < .01) and college (50% vs. 8%, P < .01). Those factors most associated with drugged driving included using drugs in high school (odds ratio [OR] = 9.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.6-19.6) and best friends in college used drugs regularly (OR = 6.2, 95% CI: 3.4-11.6).

CONCLUSION

Self-reported drugged driving and riding as a passenger with a drugged driver is common among subgroups of college students. The identification of undergraduate subgroups at risk for drugged driving will guide the design and implementation of traffic safety activities.

Predicting driving after drinking over time among college students: the emerging role of injunctive normative perceptions

OBJECTIVE

Despite prevention efforts, driving after drinking (DAD) is a prevalent high-risk behavior among college students and is a leading cause of death and injury. Examination of factors predicting future DAD behavior is necessary to develop efficacious targeted interventions to reduce this behavior among college students. The current study evaluated demographic, social cognitive, and behavioral predictors of DAD using longitudinal data.

METHOD

Participants were 655 nonabstaining college students (67.2% female; 60.3% White; Mage = 19.3 years) who completed online surveys at two time points 12 months apart.

RESULTS

Results revealed that participants consistently overestimated their peers' approval (injunctive norms) of DAD. In a three-step hierarchical logistic regression model, injunctive norms, age, and past DAD behavior uniquely contributed to the prediction of this behavior 12 months later. Neither sex nor membership in a sorority or fraternity emerged as significant predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provide important new insights into the longitudinal predictors of DAD among college students and highlight the need for DAD interventions, particularly among older students.

Injunctive peer misperceptions and the mediation of self-approval on risk for driving after drinking among college students

Of the alcohol-related risks faced by college students, it is arguable that none presents a greater public health hazard than driving after drinking (DAD). The present study examined the extent to which students' injunctive misperceptions toward DAD predicted the likelihood to engage in DAD and how this relation was mediated by self-approval of DAD. Participants were 2,848 college students (59.1% female, 64.6% Caucasian) from two U.S. West Coast universities who completed confidential web-based surveys assessing DAD beliefs and behaviors. Results revealed that respondents tended to overestimate their peers' approval toward DAD. Moreover, the subgroups likely to engage in DAD--men, 21 + years of age, Greek affiliated students, Caucasians, students with a family history of alcohol abuse--were also more likely to misperceive (i.e., overestimate) their peers' level of approval toward DAD. Using binary logistic regression analyses, self-approval of DAD emerged as an important statistical mediator in the relation between misperception of typical student approval toward DAD and engagement in DAD. Results point to the considerable role injunctive peer misperceptions may play in the pathways leading to drinking-driving risk. These findings provide preliminary support for DAD-specific social normative interventions, either complementing or supplementing existing alcohol interventions. By targeting high-risk student subgroups and communicating accurate drinking-driving norms, these proposed interventions have the potential to reduce self-approval and incidence of DAD.

Spanish version of the Positive Expectancies for Drinking and Driving for Youth

In most developed countries, motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death among young people, and a large proportion of motor vehicle accidents are alcohol-related. In Spain there are no currently available instruments for assessing positive expectancies related to drinking and driving behavior. Attempting to modify these expectancies may be an effective prevention approach, so there is a need for a valid and reliable scale to measure the construct. The aims of the present study were to translate, culturally adapt, and examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish-language version of the Positive Expectancies for Drinking and Driving for Youth (PEDD-Y) in a sample of Spanish young adults. A total of 352 college students with drivers licenses were recruited at a university in southeast Spain. We examined the factor structure, psychometric properties (reliability and validity) and temporal stability of the Spanish version of the PEDD-Y among Spanish young adult drivers. Findings indicated that the Spanish version of the PEDD-Y demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties and was shown to significantly predict lifetime prevalence and future intentions to drink and drive as well as riding with a drunk driver. The Convenience factor performed with the most consistent reliability and predictive validity. Limitations and future research questions are discussed.

Personal and contextual factors in the escalation of driving after drinking across the college years

College students continue to drive after drinking at alarmingly high rates. Age trends suggest that driving after drinking increases from late adolescence across the college years, largely mirroring trends in binge drinking. Relatively little research, however, has examined change over time in driving after drinking among college students or tested whether some students might be at greater risk of escalations in driving after drinking. Using a sample of 1,833 nonabstaining students who completed surveys for seven semesters across the college years, we tested whether personal (i.e., age of drinking onset, gender, risk perceptions, and sensation seeking) and contextual (i.e., college residence) factors were associated with changes in driving after drinking. Using latent growth curve modeling, we found significant individual differences in rates of change in driving after drinking. Male students and students who began drinking earlier in life increased in driving after drinking more rapidly, whereas living in on-campus housing was associated with time-specific decreases in driving after drinking. These results demonstrate the value of considering driving after drinking from a longitudinal perspective and suggest possible avenues toward preventing the public health consequences of intoxicated driving.

Identifying factors that increase the likelihood of driving after drinking among college students

Driving after drinking (DAD) is a serious public health concern found to be more common among college students than those of other age groups or same-aged non-college peers. The current study examined potential predictors of DAD among a dual-site sample of 3753 (65% female, 58% Caucasian) college students. Results showed that 19.1% of respondents had driven after 3 or more drinks and 8.6% had driven after 5 or more drinks in the past 3 months. A logistic regression model showed that male status, fraternity or sorority affiliation, family history of alcohol abuse, medium or heavy drinking (as compared to light drinking), more approving self-attitudes toward DAD, and alcohol expectancies for sexual enhancement and risk/aggression were independently associated with driving after drinking over and above covariates. These results extend the current understanding of this high risk drinking behavior in collegiate populations and provide implications for preventive strategies. Findings indicate that in addition to targeting at-risk subgroups, valuable directions for DAD-related interventions may include focusing on lowering both self-approval of DAD and alcohol-related expectancies, particularly those associated with risk/aggression and sexuality.

Fraternity and sorority leaders and members: a comparison of alcohol use, attitudes, and policy awareness

BACKGROUND

Studies have documented that members of college fraternities and sororities (i.e., Greeks) drink more heavily and experience more alcohol-related consequences than other students. Few studies have examined the role of Greek leaders in the socialization of Greek members.

OBJECTIVES

The present study investigated how alcohol-related attitudes and behaviors among Greek leaders differ from the attitudes and behaviors of members.

METHODS

At a single university, two anonymous surveys were conducted in 2006 and 2007 (N = 726 and 757, respectively) at fraternity and sorority chapter meetings. All individuals present at the meetings were invited to participate. One-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs), controlling for age and sex, were conducted to examine the effect of leadership status on alcohol-related attitudes and behaviors. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to analyze the effect of leadership status on alcohol-impaired driving.

RESULTS

Few differences were found between Greek leaders and members. In both years, leaders perceived alcohol control policies as stricter than did members. Notably, leaders and members did not significantly differ in reports of alcohol use or consequences.

CONCLUSION

With this additional study, the literature suggests that alcohol-related attitude and behavioral differences between Greek leaders and members may be highly variable across college and university campuses.

SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

The socialization process among Greek leaders and members warrants further investigation. The current findings suggest that future research should examine the roles that campus climate and on-campus initiatives may play in the Greek socialization process.

Common ground: an investigation of environmental management alcohol prevention initiatives in a college community

OBJECTIVE

This article presents an evaluation of Common Ground, a media campaign-supported prevention program featuring increased enforcement, decreased alcohol access, and other environmental management initiatives targeting college student drinking.

METHOD

Phase 1 of the media campaign addressed student resistance to environmentally focused prevention by reporting majority student support for alcohol policy and enforcement initiatives. Phase 2 informed students about state laws, university policies, and environmental initiatives. We conducted student telephone surveys, with samples stratified by gender and year in school, for 4 consecutive years at the intervention campus and 3 years at a comparison campus. We did a series of one-way between-subjects analyses of variance and analyses of covariance, followed by tests of linear trend and planned comparisons. Targeted outcomes included perceptions of enforcement and alcohol availability, alcohol use, and alcohol-impaired driving. We examined archived police reports for student incidents, primarily those resulting from loud parties.

RESULTS

There were increases at the intervention campus in students' awareness of formal alcohol-control efforts and perceptions of the alcohol environment, likelihood of apprehension for underage drinking, consequences for alcohol-impaired driving, and responsible alcohol service practices. There were decreases in the perceived likelihood of other students' negative behavior at off-campus parties. Police-reported incidents decreased over time; however, perceived consequences for off-campus parties decreased. No changes were observed for difficulty finding an off-campus party, self-reported alcohol use, or alcohol-impaired driving.

CONCLUSIONS

The intervention successfully altered perceptions of alcohol enforcement, alcohol access, and the local alcohol environment. This study provides important preliminary information to researchers and practitioners engaged in collaborative prevention efforts in campus communities.

Predictors of college student support for alcohol control policies and stricter enforcement strategies

OBJECTIVES

With alcohol-related problems remaining a concern on college campuses, prevention efforts are increasingly directed to addressing the environmental factors that encourage consumption. This study examined students' support for alcohol control policies, correlates of that support, and actual vs. perceived peer support.

METHODS

Telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of 510 college students. We conducted a three-step hierarchical regression analysis to examine predictors of policy support. Levels of personal and perceived peer support for alcohol control policies were compared.

RESULTS

Findings revealed a high level of policy support among students, with variability in support by gender, alcohol consumption levels, and drinking and driving tendencies. Additionally, compared to the percentage of students who supported each policy, a smaller percentage thought other students were supportive.

CONCLUSIONS

Results provide valuable insights to inform the development of media campaigns and other environmental management initiatives.