Drinking Location and Pregaming as Predictors of Alcohol Intoxication Among Mandated College Students

ABSTRACT

Background: Both drinking location and pregaming have been associated with heavy alcohol use among college students, yet the manner by which they uniquely contribute to alcohol intoxication remains unclear. Objective: The current study examined the unique utility of drinking location and pregaming in predicting alcohol intoxication among college students who violated campus alcohol policy. Method: Between 2011 and 2012, mandated college students who reported drinking prior to their referral events (N = 212, 41% female, 80% White, M_age = 19.4 y) completed a computerized assessment of drinking location and related behaviors as part of larger research trial. Chi-squared statistics, t-tests, one-way analyses of covariance, and regression were used to examine study aims. Results: Participants were most likely (44%) to report drinking in off-campus housing prior to the referral event, and approximately half (47%) reported pregaming. Alcohol intoxication on the night of the referral event differed significantly as a function of both drinking location and pregaming, but pregaming did not moderate the association between drinking location and alcohol intoxication among mandated students. Female birth sex, pregaming, and drinking at either fraternities or off-campus housing predicted greater levels of alcohol intoxication on the night of the referral incident, while drinking in a residence hall/dorm predicted lower intoxication. Conclusions/Importance: Drinking location and pregaming are distinct predictors of alcohol intoxication among mandated college students. Future interventions may benefit from targeting both where and how college students consume alcohol.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• college students
• drinking
• location
• pregaming

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mary Beth Miller

Mary Beth Miller is a first-year postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University. Her research aims to enhance understanding of the etiology of substance use disorders in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of treatment. She is particularly interested in the interplay of substance use and sleep disorders and the process by which personalized feedback on one's health and behaviors may facilitate behavior change.

Brian Borsari

Brian Borsari received his PhD in clinical psychology from Syracuse University in 2003. Dr. Borsari is currently a Health Behavior Consultant and Clinician Researcher at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. His research interests there involve the assessment and treatment of addictive behaviors, training VA staff in motivational interviewing and other client-centered communication to facilitate behavior change, and developing interventions to assist student service members/veterans who are attending college. He is also Professor in Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. His research conducted through the Northern California Institute of Research and Education (NCIRE), also known as the Veterans Health Research Institute, include the development and implementation of brief motivational interventions with college student drinkers, the social influences on alcohol (e.g., modeling and norms), high risk behaviors such as pregaming and drinking games, development and evaluation of interventions using mobile technology, and in-session processes of motivational interviewing that are related to behavior change.

Anne C. Fernandez

Anne C. Fernandez is a third-year postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Addiction Studies at Brown University. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Rhode Island in 2013. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of brief motivational interventions for alcohol use and other health behaviors in medical and non-medical settings. Her primary research and clinical interests are in addiction and behavioral medicine.

Ali M. Yurasek

Ali M. Yurasek is a second-year postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Addiction Studies at Brown University. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Memphis in 2014. She is focusing on the development and evaluation of brief motivational interventions for marijuana and alcohol use in a variety of populations including college students, adolescents, and youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Her particular interest is in examining behavioral economic concepts as mechanisms of change.

John T. P. Hustad

John T. P. Hustad is Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. His research program strives to better understand and prevent negative alcohol-related consequences among college students. He is particularly interested in tailored intervention and prevention strategies for college students.