Strategy before beer, never fear? : the unique relationships among protective behavioral strategies and specific categories of alcohol-related problems
Abstract
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Research has found that excessive drinking among college students is widespread. According to Wechsler et al. (2002), approximately 44% of college students reported engaging in binge drinking. A myriad of negative consequences are associated with problematic drinking that range in severity from physical injury to academic expulsion (Hingson, Zha, & Weitzman, 2009; Wechsler et al., 2002).Researchers have found that approximately 1800 deaths, 600,000 injuries, 646,000 assaults, and 97,000 sexual assaults related to alcohol use occur each year in the college student population (Hingson et al., 2009). It is therefore important to understand factors that could be utilized in intervention efforts designed to combat high-risk drinking among this group. One such factor is that of protective behavioral strategies (PBS). Examples of PBS include using a designated driver, determining not to exceed a set number of drinks, putting extra ice in your drink. PBS use has been shown to be associated with consuming fewer alcohol beverages and experiencing negative consequences. Distinct domains of protective behavioral strategies have shown differential relationships with alcohol-related outcomes (Martens et al., 2007; 2011). However, to my knowledge there are currently no studies that analyze these distinct PBS domains with the specific categories of alcohol-related problems such as those found in the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index and the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. The present proposal details a study that would analyze the relationships among PBS subscales and specific categories of alcohol-related problems through a structural equation modeling design.
Degree
Ph. D.
Thesis Department
Rights
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