Do drinking games matter? An examination by game type and gender in a mandated student sample

Risky business: an examination of drinking games in college settings and their impact: a systematic review

This systematic review explores the prevalence and impact of Drinking Games (DG) among college students. DGs involve social drinking with the goal of heavy alcohol consumption and are associated with risky behaviours. The review aims to quantify the relationship between DG participation, alcohol consumption, and negative outcomes. It also investigates gender moderation and unexplored motivational factors for DG engagement. Following PRISMA guidelines, 34 studies were included after screening 317 records. The studies comprised n = 34,197 participants and were analysed for various variables, including gender dynamics, motivations, and associated negative consequences. Gender convergence in DG participation was noted, emphasizing the importance of gender-specific interventions. Participants were aware of risks but often perceived negative outcomes as a badge of honour. Motivations for DGs were linked to social interaction and a sense of belonging. Personality traits like sensation seeking and identification with college drinking culture played significant roles in DG engagement and outcomes. The review underscores the need for targeted interventions to address shifting perceptions of negative consequences and consider personality traits when designing preventive measures. It also highlights the significance of gender-specific strategies. However, variations in DG measurement and possible selection bias among heavy drinkers participating in DGs remain limitations. This systematic review provides insights into DG prevalence and its link to negative outcomes among college students. The findings stress the importance of tailored interventions and further research to mitigate risk factors and promote healthier drinking behaviours in this demographic.

"It Breaks the Ice": A Qualitative Examination of Drinking Game Motives, Harms and Protective Behavioral Strategies among University Students in Australia

Background: Most research on drinking games (DG) behaviors and cognitions has been conducted among university students from the United States. Understanding why DGs are played, consequences and protective behavioral strategies (PBS) to reduce negative consequences is needed among Australian students. Objectives: In Australia, five focus groups (n=3-8) were held with 27 university students (63% female) aged 18-24 years who had played a DG in the past month. The study aimed to identify motives for playing DGs, consequences and adoption of PBS. Results: Four themes were identified: (1) social lubrication and conformity: playing to fit in; (2) community and camaraderie (perceived social benefits of DGs); (3) a means to an end (where getting drunk/predrinking was the goal and avoidance of PBS was prevalent); and (4) it is not a levelled playing field, which highlights that the risks are not equal for everyone. Conclusions: The interplay between DG motives, PBS and associated harms was identified. Expanding measurement of pre-existing DG motives and PBS is recommended, as well as the potential of DG motives to inform proposed interventions.

Latent class analysis of drinking game consequences among college drinkers

Participation in drinking games has been identified as one specific alcohol-related context linked to increased risk for heavier alcohol consumption and negative consequences among college students. Despite advances in drinking game research, questions remain about the different types of individuals at risk from participating. The current study utilized latent class analysis to classify individuals based on their endorsement of eight negative drinking game consequences from the Hazardous Drinking Games Measure. Analyses included identification of classes among 656 college students, followed by covariate analyses regressing class membership on motives for playing drinking games, general drinking motives, impulsivity facets, general problematic alcohol use, and specific drinking game behaviors. A total of three classes were identified, including a class with the fewest number of problems, a class with higher rates of hangovers and becoming sick, and a class with relatively higher rates of a majority of the other consequences. Classes differed in endorsement of motives, impulsivity facets, general problematic consumption, and drinking game behaviors. Generally, coping, conformity, and social general drinking motives; conformity and enhancement and thrills motives for playing drinking games; the impulsivity facet of negative urgency; the number of drinks consumed while playing drinking games; playing consumption type drinking games; and general problematic alcohol use were associated with more problematic class membership. Results highlight distinct classes of individuals at risk from drinking game participation. Recommendations for future studies and potential prevention and intervention efforts are also discussed.

General Drinking Motives and Alcohol Consumption across Three Contexts: Drinking Games, Tailgating, and in Stadium

BACKGROUND

Alcohol consumption across specific events and contexts has been identified as an important area of research related to college student drinking. Contexts associated with increased risk for negative outcomes include drinking games and football games at large universities. Additionally, drinking motives have been linked to increased consumption and consequences. The current study aimed to assess the role of general drinking motives across a variety of specific contexts.

METHODS

Self-report measures related to general alcohol consumption, general drinking motives, and context-specific consumption were completed by a final sample of 553 predominantly female and white students. Three sets of hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to measure relations between drinking motives and the number of drinks consumed in the contexts of drinking games, tailgating outside of the stadium prior to home football games, and while inside the football stadium during home games, after accounting for the number of times participating in each respective context.

RESULTS

Concerning tailgates, conformity and enhancement motives were positively related to the number of drinks consumed. Conformity motives were associated with greater consumption in the contexts of drinking games and in-stadium drinking. Social motives were inversely related to the number of drinks consumed in-stadium.

CONCLUSION

Different general drinking motives may contribute to individuals' alcohol consumption across specific contexts. While conformity motives are not traditionally viewed as a unique risk factor for problematic use, the relation between conformity motives and consumption while playing drinking games and within the stadium provides novel results about their potential role in alcohol-related outcomes.

Drinking games among university students in five countries: Participation rates, game type, contexts, and motives to play

Most published studies, regarding students' participation in drinking games (DGs), originate from the United States of America (USA). This study extends research to the United Kingdom (UK) and countries of mainland Europe. University students from five countries completed an anonymous online questionnaire which included measures of the frequency of DG participation, along with types, contexts and motives for participation. Responses are compared by the gender, and country of domicile of the participants. The study is based on the results of the questionnaire administered to 306 Social Work students from five universities/countries of which 72.2% are females, with a mean age of 22.6 years. This included students in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA. A high proportion of students, irrespective of gender, or country of domicile, stated that they participated in DGs. To 'meet people' and 'to get drunk' are the most important reasons stated for DG participation. Less benign motives, to 'control others' or 'get other people drunk', are reported as 'not important'. The most common types of DGs were consumption and team DGs. The pre-partying involved in DGs and associated consequences show important targets in alcohol harm minimization interventions. Harm minimization/public health messages regarding safer drinking need to recognize that younger students often feel they are immortal and do not fully appreciate risks and adverse effects of DGs and drink to have fun and be sociable.

Comparative Effectiveness of Brief Alcohol Interventions for College Students: Results from a Network Meta-Analysis

Late adolescence is a time of increased drinking, and alcohol plays a predominant role in college social experiences. Colleges seeking to prevent students' hazardous drinking may elect to implement brief alcohol interventions (BAIs). However, numerous manualized BAIs exist, so an important question remains regarding the comparative effectiveness of these different types of BAIs for college students. This study uses network meta-analyses (NMA) to compare seven manualized BAIs for reducing problematic alcohol use among college students. We systematically searched multiple sources for literature, and we screened studies and extracted data in duplicate. For the quantitative synthesis, we employed a random-effects frequentist NMA to determine the effectiveness of different BAIs compared to controls and estimated the relative effectiveness ranking of each BAI. A systematic literature search resulted in 52 included studies: On average, 58% of participants were male, 75% were binge drinkers, and 20% were fraternity/sorority-affiliated students. Consistency models demonstrated that BASICS was consistently effective in reducing students' problematic alcohol use (ES range: g = - 0.23, 95%CI [- 0.36, - 0.16] to g = - 0.36, 95% CI [- 0.55, - 0.18]), but AlcoholEDU (g = - 0.13, 95%CI [- 0.22, - 0.04]), e-CHUG (g = - 0.35, 95%CI [- 0.45, - 0.05]), and THRIVE (g = - 0.47, 95%CI [- 0.60, - 0.33]) were also effective for some outcomes. Intervention rankings indicated that BASICS, THRIVE, and AlcoholEDU hold the most promise for future trials. Several BAIs appear effective for college students. BASICS was the most effective but is resource intensive and may be better suited for higher risk students; THRIVE and e-CHUG are less resource intensive and show promise for universal prevention efforts.

What's in a game? Future directions for the assessment and treatment of drinking games

This conclusion reviews the critical issues raised by the papers in this Special Issue on Drinking Games, with an eye toward directions for future research and the development of palliative interventions. In particular, this conclusion highlights the significance of individual-level characteristics that are associated with drinking game risk, the social context in which these games take place, and methodological considerations for studying both the individual and the context as they unfold as part of drinking game practices. Given both the ubiquity of these games in North American college drinking life, and the substantial hazards with which these games are associated, interventions that may reduce harmful outcomes are needed but have not yet been developed. Issues relevant to the development of such interventions are considered.

Social anxiety and drinking refusal self-efficacy moderate the relationship between drinking game participation and alcohol-related consequences

BACKGROUND

Participation in drinking games is associated with excessive drinking and alcohol risks. Despite the growing literature documenting the ubiquity and consequences of drinking games, limited research has examined the influence of psychosocial factors on the experience of negative consequences as the result of drinking game participation.

OBJECTIVES

The current event-level study examined the relationships among drinking game participation, social anxiety, drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE) and alcohol-related consequences in a sample of college students.

METHODS

Participants (n = 976) reported on their most recent drinking occasion in the past month in which they did not preparty.

RESULTS

After controlling for sex, age, and typical drinking, higher levels of social anxiety, lower levels of DRSE, and playing drinking games predicted greater alcohol-related consequences. Moreover, two-way interactions (Social Anxiety × Drinking Games, DRSE × Drinking Games) demonstrated that social anxiety and DRSE each moderated the relationship between drinking game participation and alcohol-related consequences. Participation in drinking games resulted in more alcohol problems for students with high social anxiety, but not low social anxiety. Students with low DRSE experienced high levels of consequences regardless of whether they participated in drinking games; however, drinking game participation was associated with more consequences for students confident in their ability to resist drinking.

CONCLUSION

Findings highlight the important role that social anxiety and DRSE play in drinking game-related risk, and hence provide valuable implications for screening at-risk students and designing targeted harm reduction interventions that address social anxiety and drink refusal in the context of drinking games.

'What a man can do, a woman can do better': gendered alcohol consumption and (de)construction of social identity among young Nigerians

BACKGROUND

The misuse of alcohol and other drugs among young people, especially students, is a growing global phenomenon. In traditional Nigerian society, different locally-produced alcoholic beverages served complex roles but were mainly consumed among adult males for pleasure. Though adult females in some communities consumed alcohol, the practice of drinking was culturally controlled. In contemporary Nigeria, available quantitative studies reveal changing patterns of alcohol use amongst youth but fail to unravel the social variables that motivate alcohol use among this group.

METHODS

Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with 31 (22 males and 9 females, aged 19-23 years) undergraduate students attending a university located in a metropolitan city in Anambra State, south-eastern Nigeria. Data were collected and analysed to generate themes with the aid of Nvivo 10 software.

RESULTS

There appears to be a resilient socio-cultural belief in which men see alcohol as 'good for males' while the females in contrast believe that alcohol does not discriminate according to gender and should be drunk by both males and females. Findings also point to the ways in which male-gendered drinking behaviours, such as heavy or fast drinking are employed by women to develop social capital.

CONCLUSIONS

These results do suggest how gendered constructions of alcohol consumption create risks for both men and women, how they negotiate and ameliorate those risks, and how women challenge gender roles through their use of alcohol. Some focus on formulating evidence-based policies and comprehensively evaluated campaigns are needed to disseminate information about the risks and potential consequences of heavy alcohol consumption in order to promote safer alcohol use by young people.

Not just fun and games: a review of college drinking games research from 2004 to 2013

Drinking games are a high-risk social drinking activity consisting of rules and guidelines that determine when and how much to drink (Polizzotto et al., 2007). Borsari's (2004) seminal review paper on drinking games in the college environment succinctly captured the published literature as of February 2004. However, research on college drinking games has grown exponentially during the last decade, necessitating an updated review of the literature. This review provides an in-depth summary and synthesis of current drinking games research (e.g., characteristics of drinking games, and behavioral, demographic, social, and psychological influences on participation) and suggests several promising areas for future drinking games research. This review is intended to foster a better understanding of drinking game behaviors among college students and improve efforts to reduce the negative impact of this practice on college campuses.