A cross sectional evaluation of an alcohol intervention targeting young university students

Associations between Gender Expression, Protective Coping Strategies, Alcohol Saliency, and High-Risk Alcohol Use in Post-Secondary Students at Two Canadian Universities

BACKGROUND

This study, conducted in October 2017 at two Canadian universities, aimed to explore the relationships between gender expression, protective coping strategies, alcohol saliency, and high-risk alcohol use.

METHODS

Validated scales were employed to assess these variables using survey data. Multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between these factors and high-risk drinking.

RESULTS

This study revealed significant associations between high-risk drinking and androgynous gender roles (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.19-2.10) as well as among self-reported males (OR = 2.21; 95% CI: 1.77-2.75). Additionally, protective behavioural strategies were inversely related to high-risk drinking (OR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.94-0.96), while higher alcohol saliency exhibited a positive correlation with high-risk drinking (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.11-1.14).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore the importance of considering gender, alcohol saliency beliefs, and protective behavioural strategies in the development and refinement of interventions aimed at reducing high-risk alcohol use on Canadian campuses.

Student drinking cultures in tertiary education residential accommodation: A contextual research study

Background: In Australia, harmful drinking among students aged 18-24 years in tertiary education residential accommodation (TRA) remains high, placing students at higher risk of harms than non-TRA and university peers. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the context-specific factors distinctive to TRAs that supported a heavy drinking culture among students. Conducted across three sites in Melbourne, Australia, the purpose of the study was to inform the development of context-specific harm reduction interventions for these sites. Methods: Five focus groups were conducted with 32 students to examine their lived experience of drinking within the distinctive environments of their TRAs. The data were examined using thematic data analysis. Results: Three themes were identified: (1) routine drinking in TRAs; (2) drinking for social inclusion in the TRA; and (3) TRA alcohol governance and students' self-regulation. The data show that factors contributing to these TRA drinking cultures included: liberty to store alcohol and drink on campus; freshers' belief that admission to the TRA was conditional on "partying hard"; students' belief that staff supported the TRA drinking culture; and poor dissemination and operationalisation of TRA alcohol policy. Collectively, these factors fostered an environment that enabled frequent and heavy alcohol consumption among residents. Conclusions: The TRA drinking cultures were supported by social and regulatory factors specific to these institutions and, in particular, by a liberal approach to TRA alcohol governance and poorly disseminated alcohol policy that made widespread heavy drinking possible. Drinking cultures in TRAs can be changed through appropriate interventions that include nuanced policy and effective governance.

Psychometric properties of the Masculine Depression Scale in Turkish male university students

AIM

This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the "Masculine Depression Scale" (MDS) in Turkish male university students.

DESIGN AND METHOD

This methodological study was conducted with 337 male university students in 2018.

RESULTS

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) reduced the total item number from 44 to 18; the scale included two factors explaining 51.94% of the total variance. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) showed standard regression coefficients between .59 and .75. The Cronbach's α values were .74 to .92 and item-total coefficients were 0.22 to 0.71.

IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS

The two-factor, 18-item MDS is appropriate to assess masculine depression properties in Turkish male university students.

Deter the emotions: Alexithymia, impulsivity and their relationship to binge drinking

Introduction

The relevance of both emotion processing and impulsivity to alcohol use and misuse is increasingly recognised, yet there is a scarcity of studies addressing their reciprocal interaction. The present study aimed to examine the role that difficulties in emotion processing and trait impulsivity play in explaining binge drinking pattern of alcohol use in student population. We looked at binge drinking, as it is a risk factor to later alcohol abuse and is a common alcohol drinking habit among students. Alexithymia (from Greek as "deter/repel emotions"), a difficulty in identifying and describing feelings in self and others is increasingly recognised as a feature of alcohol misuse.

Methods

One-hundred and seventy-four student alcohol drinkers were assessed for their drinking habits (Alcohol Use Questionnaire), as well as for alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and impulsivity trait (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale); facial emotional expression judgements were also tested.

Results

A direct relationships between, both, alexithymia and impulsivity, and binge drinking was found. When combined, trait impulsivity partially mediated the relationship between alexithymia and binge drinking. Facial emotional expression judgements also showed a relationship with binge drinking.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the importance of both emotion processing and impulsivity in understanding binge drinking and indicate potential routes for prevention and intervention techniques, especially towards those who may be at risk of later alcohol abuse.

Influences of club connectedness among young adults in Western Australian community-based sports clubs

BACKGROUND

Along with physical benefits, community-based sport provides opportunities to enhance connectedness, an important protective factor of social and emotional health. However, young Australians participating in sport have been found to drink alcohol at higher levels than their non-sporting peers, and many clubs serve unhealthy food and beverages. This study explored the association between the dependent variable, level of alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C) and connectedness to club and other health behaviours among young people aged 18-30 years who play club sport in Western Australia.

METHODS

An online cross sectional survey measured levels of alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C), alcohol-related harm, connectedness (including volunteering and team cohesion), mental wellbeing, healthy food options and club sponsorship among young adults aged 18-30 years involved in sports clubs in Western Australia (n = 242). Relationships and association between the dependent variable (AUDIT-C) and independent variables were assessed.

RESULTS

Male sportspeople were more likely to drink alcohol at high-risk levels than females (p < .001), and respondents belonging to a club that received alcohol-related sponsorship were more likely to drink at high-risk levels (p = .019). Females were significantly more likely to want healthy food and beverage options provided at their clubs (p = 0.011). When all factors were considered team cohesion (p = 0.02), alcohol expectations (p = < .001), occurrences of experienced alcohol-related harm (p = <.001) and length of club membership (p = 0.18) were significant predictors of high-risk AUDIT-C (R2 = .34, adjusted R2 = .33, F (4, 156) = 20.43, p = <.001). High-risk AUDIT-C and club connectedness predicted strong team cohesion (R2 = .39, adjusted R2 = .39, F (2, 166) = 53.74, p = <.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study may inform policy and practice to enhance healthy behaviours among young adults participating in community sports clubs in Australia and other countries.

Alcohol consumption and associated harms among university students in Australia: Findings from a cross-sectional study

ISSUE ADDRESSED

University students regularly report alcohol consumption in excess of Australian guidelines for harm. However, previous studies have overlooked the experiences of mature-aged students. This study assessed alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms among university students aged 18-50 years old in Australia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey with convenience sample of university students was used in this study. Unadjusted ordinal logistic regressions were performed to explore associations between student characteristics and frequency of alcohol consumption as well as number of standard drinks consumed. Logistic regressions adjusted for student characteristics were performed to assess associations between alcohol consumptions and alcohol-related harm.

RESULTS

Of the respondents (n = 486), 82% consumed alcohol, of which 50% consumed more than two standard drinks on any day. Age was significantly associated with amount consumed and blackout. Students aged 31-50 years were less likely to consume more than two standard drinks on any day (odds ratio, OR: 0.62, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.40, 0.97); and less likely to experience blackout (OR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.83) than those aged 18-20 years. Interestingly, reducing consumption to no more than once a month, when compared to more than twice a month, reduced risk of blackout only for those aged less than 31-50 years old (adjusted OR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.04, 1.13).

CONCLUSIONS

Older university students are less likely to drink more than two standard drinks on any day than their younger counterparts. SO WHAT?: It is recommended that interventions target younger students; however, older students may assist in understanding factors that influence low risk alcohol consumption.

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.

I Am Quite Mellow But I Wouldn't Say Everyone Else Is": How UK Students Compare Their Drinking Behavior to Their Peers'

BACKGROUND

Excessive drinking is commonplace at UK Universities. Individuals may misperceive how much they drink compared to others and are less likely to think that they will suffer adverse consequences. Young people often distance themselves and their friends from 'problem drinkers'.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to explore how student drinkers compared their own drinking behaviors to the drinking behaviors of others.

METHODS

An online survey was completed by 416 students aged 18-30 (68.5% female). They were asked 'how do you think your drinking compares with other people like you?' and 'how do you think your behavior when you drink compares with other people like you?' Answers were subjected to thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The first main theme was about 'identification as a 'good' drinker'. Participants suggested their own behavior when drinking was similar to their sober behavior. Further, they viewed themselves as more able to maintain a balance between staying in control and having fun while drinking. The second main theme was about 'distancing from being a 'bad' drinker. Participants distanced themselves from negative prototypical drinkers, such compulsive or anti-social drinkers. They also attributed their own drinking behaviors to situational factors, but described other people as intentionally violent or aggressive. Conclusions/Importance: These findings may explain the failure of some health messages to change drinking behaviors. If drinkers perceive that their behavior when they drink is better than other people's then they may discount intervention messages. Targeting these biases could be incorporated into future interventions.

Development and testing of the Youth Alcohol Norms Survey (YANS) instrument to measure youth alcohol norms and psychosocial influences

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to develop and validate an online instrument to: (1) identify common alcohol-related social influences, norms and beliefs among adolescents; (2) clarify the process and pathways through which proalcohol norms are transmitted to adolescents; (3) describe the characteristics of social connections that contribute to the transmission of alcohol norms; and (4) identify the influence of alcohol marketing on adolescent norm development.

SETTING

The online Youth Alcohol Norms Survey (YANS) was administered in secondary schools in Western Australia PARTICIPANTS: Using a 2-week test-retest format, the YANS was administered to secondary school students (n=481, age=13-17 years, female 309, 64.2%).

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

The development of the YANS was guided by social cognitive theory and comprised a systematic multistage process including evaluation of content and face validity. A 2-week test-retest format was employed. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the underlying factor structure of the instrument. Test-retest reliability was examined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cohen's kappa.

RESULTS

A five-factor structure with meaningful components and robust factorial loads was identified, and the five factors were labelled as 'individual attitudes and beliefs', 'peer and community identity', 'sibling influences', 'school and community connectedness' and 'injunctive norms', respectively. The instrument demonstrated stability across the test-retest procedure (ICC=0.68-0.88, Cohen's kappa coefficient=0.69) for most variables.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support the reliability and factorial validity of this instrument. The YANS presents a promising tool, which enables comprehensive assessment of reciprocal individual, behavioural and environmental factors that influence alcohol-related norms among adolescents.

You have to be prepared to drink

Purpose

Many existing interventions to reduce excessive drinking in university students attempt to target individual cognitions, which ignore the wider contextual features that drive excessive drinking and mark this as an important aspect of university life. The purpose of this paper is to explore students’ views about preventing excessive drinking at university, specifically by using frameworks that take into both account individual and social influences.

Design/methodology/approach

In all, 23 young adults aged 20-30 (12 females; M age=22.91; SD=2.57; 18 students, five recent graduates) took part in semi-structured interviews to explore their views about drinking and measures to reduce excessive consumption. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

There were three themes identified in the analysis. These themes were named “the role of alcohol in student life”, drinking transitions’, and “prevention challenges” and each had related sub-themes.

Practical implications

Targeting students before they commence their course and highlighting aspects of university life that do not involve alcohol may help to reduce the pressure often felt to drink in social situations. Providing novel, credible alternative socialising options that do not involve alcohol should be explored to determine their acceptability, and their potential to reduce excessive drinking.

Originality/value

Few studies explore what students themselves think about reducing alcohol consumption and most interventions focus on changing individual cognitions rather than features of the social environment. This study highlights that changing social practices related to drinking in combination with targeting individuals may be more fruitful avenue to reduce excessive alcohol consumption.