Examining Sex Differences in Associations between Pain and Alcohol Use among College Student-Athletes

Abstract

Background: College student-athletes are a high-risk population for both pain and alcohol use. Although a growing literature indicates that pain motivates alcohol consumption, no studies have tested associations between pain and alcohol in college student-athletes. Methods and Results: Among National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I student-athletes at a large public university (N = 65; 48% Female), nearly all student-athletes (97%) reported alcohol use and 65% reported pain due to an athletic injury. Pain intensity was positively associated with greater motivation to reduce drinking prior to receiving a brief alcohol intervention. Among females, pain intensity was associated with lower self-reported alcohol consumption. Among male athletes, pain-related interference was associated with greater alcohol-related problems and lower perceived ability to deal with alcohol-related situations. Conclusion: Results provide initial evidence that pain may be important to consider when addressing alcohol use among student-athletes.

Keywords:

• Pain intensity
• drinking behavior
• motivation to change
• pain-related interference

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.