Gender differences in college binge drinking: Examining the role of depression and school stress

Abstract

In this paper the associations among binge drinking, depression, and school-related stress are examined for a sample of college men and women. Data are taken from a survey of 248 undergraduate students at the University of North Dakota – located in a state with high underage and binge drinking rates. The current study challenges past work showing that college women are more likely to respond to depression by binge drinking: depression is indirectly and negatively associated with binge drinking among the women in this sample through its association with school-related stress. Among men, depression is directly and positively associated with binge drinking.

Keywords:

• Binge drinking
• College students
• Depression
• Stress

Notes

1 Within the field of drug and alcohol abuse, ‘binge drinking’ is a heavily contested term. To a clinician, a binge represents a pattern of behavior that includes drinking to intoxication, often in isolation and that may last up to several days (WHO, 1994). Both the U.S. Surgeon General and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services use the term binge drinking. Because it is more widely recognized and used by the public, as well as social scientists, it is the term adopted in this manuscript. Additionally, the definition of binge drinking has also been problematized; the term “occasion” or “sitting” may be difficult to define, and “drink” suffers from similar inexactness. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2004) clarified that for men and women, 4 or 5 drinks typically brings blood alcohol content to .08.

2 When generated without means replacement, the significant paths remained the same for both men and women. The correlations were virtually unchanged, or were stronger.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daphne E. Pedersen

Daphne E. Pedersen is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Dakota. Her research focuses on social stress and health among various populations, including working families and college students.