College students' reasons for abstaining or limiting drinking: factor structure, predictors, and relations to abstention and alcohol-related outcomes

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] All addictive behavior can be conceptualized as a balance between impelling and inhibiting forces. Increasing knowledge of how motives (both approach and avoidance) influence drinking would result in a more comprehensive understanding of the etiology, maintenance, and resolution of problematic drinking. A 24-item measure of reasons for abstaining or limiting drinking (RALD) was administered annually in a large prospective study of college students' drinking behaviors. A series of factor analyses on RALD items resulted in a 3-factor solution: Upbringing, Negative Consequences, and Anticipated Costs. Correlational analyses suggest that RALD are associated with demographic variables, personality traits, and several measures of alcohol involvement. Prospective analyses suggest that RALD is a complex construct with important differences in RALD factors' influences on drinking behaviors. The current study significantly extends previous research by characterizing the construct of RALD in greater detail and describing how these factors relate to specific alcohol-related outcomes.