Risk for Alcohol Problems Among College Students

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this study is to identify risk and vulnerability mechanisms for alcohol-related problems among college students. Use of alcohol increases the potential for a broad range of psychosocial problems. Research indicates both common and divergent risk mechanisms for alcohol use and use-related problems. This project aims to examine the association of six risk variables (social norms, impulsivity, affect lability, family history of alcohol problems, alcohol consumption, and perceived utility of alcohol use in achieving personal goals) with alcohol use problems. These variables have all been linked to alcohol use problems in previous research. Two dimensions of use-related problems will be assessed and included as criterion variables; abuse type symptoms and dependency type symptoms. Impulsivity will be examined as a moderator to the association between perceived use utility and use and the association between use and problems. This study will explore relationships with a prospective longitudinal design. College students (n=1500) will be recruited through e-mail and fliers on campus. Participants will be assessed at two time points separated by a period of six months. All questionnaires will be completed online in computer labs in small group sessions under the supervision of a research assistant. All responses will be anonymous and participants will be identified only by a unique self-generated code. Analyses will focus on the subset of students who report using alcohol (85 percent) during the six-month assessment window. Three types of relationships will be examined. The first is an indirect path in which the association between the risk variable and use-related problems is mediated by alcohol consumption. The second is a direct path in which the risk variable contributes to use-related problems independently of alcohol consumption. Third, a vulnerability mechanism will be examined. Impulsivity is hypothesized to be a vulnerability factor, moderating the relationship between alcohol use and use-related problems. Impulsivity is also expected to moderate the relationship between perceived use utility and alcohol use. Indirect, direct, and moderating effects will be determined by a multiple-group structural equation model. Better understanding of the etiological paths to alcohol use problems may be useful for early identification of individuals at risk for alcohol use problems and may inform the development of effective interventions.