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There are startling rates of sexual coercion across college campuses, underscoring the importance of identifying risk factors and intervening early to prevent perpetration of these unwanted sexual events. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of impulsivity, sensation seeking, and alcohol use on the odds of perpetrating unwanted sexual advances (i.e., forced fondling, kissing, or petting) and sexual coercion (i.e., sexual intercourse through arguments, pressure, or physical force) during the subsequent 6 years. Male participants (N = 901) were part of a 6-year longitudinal study, which explored alcohol use and associated behavioral risks throughout emerging adulthood. Participants provided self-reported surveys across 6 years, starting the summer before their start of college. Using logistic regression models, these analyses examined the main effects and interactions of impulsivity, sensation seeking, and alcohol use, measured during the summer before the start of college, on the odds of perpetrating one or multiple instances of unwanted sexual advances and sexual coercion across the subsequent 6 years. Results indicated that higher levels of sensation seeking and heavier drinking on drinking days during high school contributed to greater odds of being a one-time perpetrator of unwanted sexual advances during the next 6 years. Conversely, impulsivity, but not alcohol use, was associated with greater risk of perpetrating multiple instances of both unwanted sexual advances and sexual coercion. Alcohol use did not significantly moderate the influence of personality on perpetration. These results underscore the importance of early intervention and using impulsivity and sensation seeking to tailor current prevention efforts to decrease the likelihood of sexual coercion perpetration during college. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dating violence presents a serious threat for individual health and well-being. A growing body of literature suggests that starting in adolescence, individuals with sexual minority identities (e.g., individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual) may be at an increased risk for dating violence compared with heterosexuals. Research has not, however, identified the mechanisms that explain this vulnerability. Using a diverse sample of young adults (n = 2,474), the current study explored how minority stress theory, revictimization theory, sex of sexual partners, and risky sexual behavior explained differences in dating violence between sexual minority and heterosexual young adults. Initial analyses suggested higher rates of dating violence among individuals who identified as bisexual, and individuals who identified as gay or lesbian when compared with heterosexuals, and further found that these associations failed to differ across gender. When mediating and control variables were included in the analyses, however, the association between both sexual minority identities and higher levels of dating violence became nonsignificant. Of particular interest was the role of discrimination, which mediated the association between bisexual identity and dating violence. Other factors, including sex and number of sexual partners, alcohol use, and childhood maltreatment, were associated with higher rates of dating violence but did not significantly explain vulnerability among sexual minority individuals compared with their heterosexual peers. These findings suggest the importance of minority stress theory in explaining vulnerability to dating violence victimization among bisexuals in particular, and generally support the importance of sexual-minority specific variables in understanding risk for dating violence within this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We prospectively examined whether subjective intoxication serves as a risk factor for experiencing alcohol-induced blackouts. We then examined whether subjective intoxication and/or blackouts predicted motivation to decrease their drinking, and whether this motivation to change would promote future changes in drinking behavior.Method: Participants (N=1854, 62.1% female, 53.2% Caucasian, Mage=21.8) were recruited the summer prior to matriculating into a large, public university to complete a 6-year longitudinal study. Self-reported motivation to decrease their drinking behavior, their frequency of blackouts, quantity of alcohol consumption, and subjective intoxication (i.e., feeling drunk) were assessed annually during the transition out of college (Years 4-6).Results: In a cross-lagged model, subjective intoxication (i.e., feeling drunk) prospectively predicted experiencing blackouts (p<0.001). Controlling for both objective (e.g., quantity) and subjective intoxication, blackouts at Year 4 predicted greater motivation to decrease drinking behavior at Year 5 (p<0.01), but this motivation did not predict less quantity of alcohol use by Year 6 (p=0.076).Conclusions: Subjective intoxication is a robust predictor of blackouts across time. Additionally, blackouts are modest, developmentally-limited predictors of motivation to change drinking behavior, but blackouts do not predict future behavior change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine how sexual minority status (as assessed using both identity and behavior) was associated with trajectories of dating violence. University students from a large Southwestern university completed questions on their sexual minority identity, the gender of their sexual partners, and about experiences of dating violence for six consecutive semesters (N = 1942). Latent growth curve modeling indicated that generally, trajectories of dating violence were stable across study participation. Sexual minority identity was associated with higher initial levels of dating violence at baseline, but also with greater decreases in dating violence across time. These differences were mediated by number of sexual partners. Having same and other-sex sexual partners was associated with higher levels of dating violence at baseline, and persisted in being associated with higher levels over time. No significant gender difference was observed regarding trajectories of dating violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Alcohol-induced blackouts, or memory loss for all or portions of events that occurred during a drinking episode, are reported by approximately 50% of drinkers and are associated with a wide range of negative consequences, including injury and death. As such, identifying the factors that contribute to and result from alcohol-induced blackouts is critical in developing effective prevention programs. Here, we provide an updated review (2010 to 2015) of clinical research focused on alcohol-induced blackouts, outline practical and clinical implications, and provide recommendations for future research. Methods A comprehensive, systematic literature review was conducted to examine all articles published between January 2010 through August 2015 that focused on vulnerabilities, consequences, and possible mechanisms for alcohol-induced blackouts. Results Twenty-six studies reported on alcohol-induced blackouts. Fifteen studies examined prevalence and/or predictors of alcohol-induced blackouts. Six publications described the consequences of alcohol-induced blackouts, and 5 studies explored potential cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced blackouts. Conclusions Recent research on alcohol-induced blackouts suggests that individual differences, not just alcohol consumption, increase the likelihood of experiencing an alcohol-induced blackout, and the consequences of alcohol-induced blackouts extend beyond the consequences related to the drinking episode to include psychiatric symptoms and neurobiological abnormalities. Prospective studies and a standardized assessment of alcohol-induced blackouts are needed to fully characterize factors associated with alcohol-induced blackouts and to improve prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Early onset drinking is associated with later heavy drinking and related consequences. Early drinking onset and binge drinking are also independently associated with blackouts, which are periods of amnesia for events during a drinking episode. The objective of this study was to examine how early onset drinking relates to changes in the frequency of experiencing blackouts across 3 years controlling for year-specific binge drinking. Methods Participants ( N = 1,145; 67.9% female) from a 6-year, longitudinal study are included in these analyses. Measures of self-reported age at drinking onset included ages at first drink, first high, and first drunk, which were used to create a latent early onset drinking factor. Frequency of binge drinking and blackouts were assessed annually during Years 4 to 6. Results Overall, 69.2% of participants reported experiencing blackouts. After controlling for year-specific binge drinking, a growth curve model indicated that early onset drinkers reported more frequent blackouts at Year 4. There were, however, no significant effects of acceleration or deceleration in the frequency of blackouts across the 3 years. Early onset drinkers continued to experience more frequent blackouts compared with those who initiated alcohol use later, despite decreases in binge drinking over time. Conclusions Early onset drinkers reported more frequent blackouts across all 3 years, indicating that early alcohol initiation predisposes those individuals to continue to experience more frequent blackouts, despite a decrease in their binge drinking. This may be due to various factors, such as altered hippocampal development and functioning resulting from early alcohol exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There is considerable debate about the prospective association between alcohol-dependence symptoms and alcohol-related blackouts. The goal of this study was to examine the associations among alcohol-dependence symptoms, blackouts, and social and emotional consequences during the transition out of college. Method: Participants (N = 829; 66% female) were part of a 6-year longitudinal study designed to explore alcohol use and risky behaviors during and after college. Data for these analyses were from Years 4 and 5 of data collection, which most closely corresponded to the transition out of college. Using cross-lagged models, we tested the prospective associations of alcohol-dependence symptoms, blackout frequency, and social and emotional consequences. Results: Alcohol-dependence symptoms in Year 4 predicted increased frequency of blackouts and social and emotional consequences during the subsequent year. Blackouts during Year 4 also significantly predicted increased alcohol-related social and emotional consequences, but not dependence symptoms, in Year 5. Conclusions: Although blackouts do not predict the development of alcohol-dependence symptoms, they increase the risk for less severe alcohol-related consequences during the transition out of college. This may result from the cognitive reconciliation of negative behaviors that occur during these episodes of amnesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Consequences of heavy drinking include alcohol-induced blackouts, which are periods of amnesia for all or part of a drinking event. One risk factor for blackouts is family history of problematic alcohol use (FH +); however, research rarely distinguishes maternal from paternal FH +. The objective of this study was to examine whether maternal or paternal FH + better predicts likelihood of experiencing blackouts than a general measure of overall FH +, and whether gender moderates this association. Method Participants (N = 1164; 65.4% are female) were first-time college freshmen (age range = 17–19) who participated in a 6-year, 10-assessment, longitudinal study in the United States. Alcohol-induced blackouts, the dependent measure, were dichotomized (yes/no) based on endorsement of memory problems after drinking using a single item during Years 4–6. FH +, captured at baseline, was coded if participants self-reported that their mother, father, or any of their four grandparents were a possible or definite problem drinker. Results Overall, 773 (66.4%) participants reported experiencing blackouts during Years 4–6. Women were more likely to report blackouts than men; however, compared with women with a maternal FH +, men with a maternal FH + were more than twice as likely to report blackouts. Discussion Men appear to be more susceptible than women to the effects of a maternal FH +. Genetic and environmental explanations for this finding are discussed. In sum, these findings are an important step toward understanding a significant yet understudied negative consequence of heavy alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individual differences in subjective response to alcohol, as measured by laboratory-based alcohol challenge, have been identified as a candidate phenotypic risk factor for the development of alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). Two models have been developed to explain the role of subjective response to alcohol, but predictions from the 2 models are contradictory, and theoretical consensus is lacking. Methods: This investigation used a meta-analytic approach to review the accumulated evidence from alcohol-challenge studies of subjective response as a risk factor. Data from 32 independent samples (total N = 1,314) were aggregated to produce quantitative estimates of the effects of risk-group status (i.e., positive family history of AUDs or heavier alcohol consumption) on subjective response. Results: As predicted by the Low Level of Response Model (LLRM), family history-positive groups experienced reduced overall subjective response relative to family history-negative groups. This effect was most evident among men, with family history-positive men responding more than half a standard deviation less than family history-negative men. In contrast, consistent with the Differentiator Model (DM), heavier drinkers of both genders responded 0.4 standard deviations less on measures of sedation than did the lighter drinkers but nearly half a standard deviation more on measures of stimulation, with the stimulation difference appearing most prominent on the ascending limb of the blood alcohol concentration curve. Conclusions: The accumulated results from 3 decades of family history comparisons provide considerable support for the LLRM. In contrast, results from typical consumption comparisons were largely consistent with predictions of the DM. The LLRM and DM may describe 2 distinct sets of phenotypic risk, with importantly different etiologies and predictions for the development of AUDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study examined the effects of alcohol consumption on narrative recall and contextual memory among individuals with and without a history of fragmentary blackouts in an attempt to better understand why some individuals experience alcohol-induced memory impairments whereas others do not, even at comparable blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). Standardized beverage (alcohol and no alcohol) administration procedures and neuropsychological assessments measured narrative recall and context memory performance before and after alcohol consumption in individuals with (n=44) and without (n=44) a history of fragmentary blackouts. Findings indicate that acute alcohol intoxication led to impairments in free recall, but not next-day cued recall. Further, participants showed similar memory performance when sober, but individuals who consumed alcohol and had a positive history of fragmentary blackouts showed greater contextual memory impairments than those who had not previously experienced a fragmentary blackout. Thus, it appears that some individuals may have an inherent vulnerability to alcohol-induced memory impairments due to alcohol''s effects on contextual memory processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Although alcohol use and related problems are highly prevalent in emerging adulthood overall, college students drink somewhat more than do their peers who do not attend college. The personal or social influences underlying this difference, however, are not yet well understood. The present study examined whether personality traits (i.e., self-regulation and sensation seeking) and peer influence (i.e., descriptive drinking norms) contributed to student status differences. Method: At approximately age 22, 4-year college students (n = 331) and noncollege emerging adults (n = 502) completed web-based surveys, including measures of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, personality, and social norms. Results: College students drank only slightly more heavily. This small difference, however, reflected personality suppression. College students were lower in trait-based risk for drinking, and accounting for traits revealed a stronger positive association between attending college and drinking more heavily. Although noncollege emerging adults reported greater descriptive drinking norms for social group members, norms appeared to more strongly influence alcohol use among college students. Finally, despite drinking less, noncollege individuals experienced more alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: The association between attending college and drinking heavily may be larger than previously estimated, and it may be masked by biased selection into college as a function of both self-regulation and sensation seeking. Differing patterns of alcohol use, its predictors, and its consequences emerged for the college and noncollege samples, suggesting that differing intervention strategies may best meet the needs of each population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even among those at risk for problematic alcohol use, there is variability in developmental trajectories of drinking and related problems. This prospective study examined the role of person-environment interactions in increased drinking during the transition to college. The authors followed a sample of recent high school graduates to test whether protective environmental factors could delay increases in drinking among those high in trait-level risk factors. Participants completed web-based surveys. A sample of 1784 students in the incoming class of 2004 at a large public United States university completed high school and first-semester-of-college assessments. Participants completed self-report measures of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, perceived awareness and caring from parents and other adults, sensation seeking and impulsivity. In the transition to college, high sensation seekers from more protective high school parental environments increased their alcohol use and problems more than did other students. Increases in alcohol problems were also high among more impulsive students from less protective environments. Whereas high sensation seekers drank equivalently in college regardless of high school-perceived awareness and caring, those who had greater high school-perceived awareness and caring did not experience as many alcohol-related problems in college. Differences in drinking trajectories may be a function of person-environment interactions. Risk associated with high sensation seeking may be masked among adolescents in protective environments, but its emergence in the college transition predicts increases in alcohol use and related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual differences in subjective alcohol intoxication, as measured by laboratory-based alcohol challenge, have been identified as a phenotypic risk factor for alcohol use disorders. Further, recent evidence indicates that subjective alcohol response is also associated with event-level physiological consequences among college students, including blackouts and hangovers. The current investigation tested predictors of and outcomes associated with subjective intoxication in the natural drinking environment. In a preliminary laboratory alcohol-challenge study ( n = 53), we developed a brief measure of subjective alcohol intoxication for use in event-level research. Participating students in the principal study ( n = 1,867; 63% women; 54% Caucasian) completed 30 days of Web-based self-monitoring in each of the 4 college years. In the principal study, generalized estimating equation analyses revealed that both lighter drinking and a family history of alcohol problems predicted greater subjective intoxication after accounting for estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC). Moreover, greater subjective intoxication during a given drinking episode was associated with negative alcohol-related consequences, illicit drug use, and unsafe sex, and at higher eBACs, was associated with aggression, sex, and property crime. Students who on average experienced greater subjective intoxication were also more likely to experience negative consequences and engage in illicit drug use, sex, unsafe sex, and aggression. These findings suggest that both within-person variability and between-person individual differences in subjective intoxication may be risk factors for adverse drinking outcomes at the event level. Intervention efforts aimed at reducing problems associated with collegiate drinking may benefit from consideration both of who experiences greater subjective intoxication and of the situations in which they are more likely to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The authors examined drinking and driving after drinking before and after turning 21. Participants: Participants were drawn from first time college students who were taking part in a 4-year longitudinal study of alcohol use and behavioral risks. Methods: Web-based longitudinal surveys collected data on drinking and driving after drinking from August 2004 through November 2007 (n = 1,817). A subset of participants (n = 224) also monitored their daily behavior during the month they turned 21 (January through May, 2007). Results: Typical frequency and quantity of alcohol use increased from ages 18 to 21 years, whereas quantity decreased between 21 and 23 years of age. Driving after drinking showed a 72% relative increase (6% absolute increase) in the 2 weeks after turning 21. Conclusions: Reaching the legal drinking age is associated with decreases in the amount of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion, but an increase in driving after drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Examinations of heavy drinking and dating violence have typically focused on either female victimization or male perpetration; yet recent findings indicate that mutual aggression is the most common pattern of dating violence. The current study investigated the relation between heavy drinking and dating violence for both men and women. Participants (N =2247) completed surveys that assessed their heavy drinking and dating violence frequency across the first three years of college. Findings indicated that heavy drinking and dating violence were both relatively stable across time for men and women, but the relation between heavy drinking and dating violence differed by gender. For men, heavy drinking and dating violence were concurrently associated during their freshman year (Year 1), whereas for women heavy drinking during their sophomore year (Year 2) predicted dating violence in their junior year (Year 3). In addition to providing educational material on healthy relationships and conflict resolution techniques, intervention efforts should target both heavy drinking and dating violence for men during or prior to their freshman year of college, whereas women may primarily benefit from efforts to reduce their heavy drinking. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examines the relation among alcohol use, alcohol-related aggression expectancies, and the perceived negative consequences of perpetrating general and sexual aggression. Participants (N = 2,941; 59% female) were incoming college freshmen who reported on the last 3 months of their senior year of high school. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses for general aggression reveal that heavy alcohol consumption at the time of the aggression and strong alcohol-related aggression expectancies were associated with more frequent social and emotional consequences. For sexual aggression, similar regression analyses found that any alcohol use at the time of the aggression, but not outcome expectancies, was associated with social and emotional consequences. Among individuals who perpetrated general and sexual aggression, consuming alcohol at the time of the aggression was positively associated with perceived negative social and emotional consequences. Results do not support the idea that alcohol is used as an excuse for aggressive behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Individual differences in subjective response to alcohol and the occurrence of blackouts and hangover are associated with the development of alcohol-use disorders. As such, subjective responses to alcohol, blackouts, and hangover may share a biological vulnerability to excessive alcohol consumption. The purpose of the current study was to examine subjective responses to alcohol as predictors of estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC), blackouts, and hangover for a single heavy drinking event. Method: Data were collected on 150(50% female) college students at a large, public university who reported consuming alcohol during their 21st birthday celebration. Using semi-structured interviews and self-report measures, subjective responses to alcohol (at midpoint of a 21st birthday celebration) were examined as predictors of final estimated BAC, blackouts, and hangover. Results: Stimulant effects reported for the midpoint of the drinking event predicted final estimated BAC. Both stimulant and sedative alcohol effects directly predicted blackouts during the drinking event and the occurrence of a hangover. Neither stimulant nor sedative effects were mediated by final estimated BAC. Conclusions: Retrospective reports of subjective responses to alcohol were associated with the level of intoxication, blackouts, and hangover during a heavy drinking event. Findings therefore suggest the utility of incorporating subjective responses to alcohol into event-specific interventions that are designed to reduce or prevent heavy episodic drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from high school to college is an important developmental milestone that holds the potential for personal growth and behavioral change. A cohort of 2,245 students was recruited during the summer before they matriculated into college and completed Internet-based surveys about their participation in a variety of behavioral risks during the last 3 months of high school and throughout the 1st year of college. Alcohol use, marijuana use, and sex with multiple partners increased during the transition from high school to college, whereas driving after drinking, aggression, and property crimes decreased. Those from rural high schools and those who elected to live in private dormitories in college were at highest risk for heavy drinking and driving after drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Heavy alcohol consumption has been associated with collegiate sporting events, but little is known about specific levels of consumption over the course of an entire sports season. Ongoing web-based daily monitoring at the University of Texas at Austin allowed assessment of drinking levels of students (n =541) over two full football seasons. High-profile football game days were among the heaviest days for alcohol consumption, comparable to consumption on other well-known drinking days such as New Years Eve and Halloween weekend. Men increased their drinking for all games, and women with greater social involvement were more likely to drink heavily during away games. Among lighter drinkers, away games were associated with a greater likelihood of behavioral risks as intoxication increased. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The authors examined the global- and event-level associations between alcohol intoxication and 10 behavioral risks during the 1st year of college. Participants (n = 1113; 62% female; 54% Caucasian) completed 30 days of Web-based self-monitoring that assessed alcohol consumption and involvement in 10 behavioral risks. Generalized estimating equations analyses were used to determine which behaviors covaried with event-level versus global indices of intoxication as well as the moderating effects of gender on the intoxication-behavior associations. Alcohol use was globally related to 8 of the 10 behavioral risks; more important, 5 of the 10 behaviors specifically covaried with daily alcohol intoxication. The differential pattern of associations observed can inform clinical work by identifying groups of students who may most benefit from various intervention approaches and content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a summary of a symposium presented at the 2005 Research Society on Alcoholism annual conference organized by Dan J. Neal and chaired by William R. Corbin. Event-level data, wherein each “event” (e.g., day) is captured as its own data point, capture the complex patterns of drinking and other high-risk behaviors in ways that the typical aggregate approach cannot. Because of their richness, methodologies that incorporate event-level data are becoming more common in alcohol research. At least 3 distinct forms of event-level data can be gathered: retrospective data (those collected on a single occasion, using memory aids to help each participant reconstruct all drinking events over a specific period of time), daily monitoring data (reporting on all events for that day), and momentary assessment (those recorded immediately following a drinking event or in response to a prompt from researchers). The goal of this symposium was to address many issues associated with event-level methodology, as well as demonstrate projects that are currently implementing such innovative data collection. The 4 presentations included in this symposium were “Realizing the Promise and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Retrospective Daily Estimation Assessments of Alcohol Use” by Frances K. Del Boca; “Using Interactive Voice Response Technology to Assess the Alcohol-Victimization Link” by Kathleen Parks, Linda King, and Ann Pardi; “Methodological Issues in Using Personal Data Assistants to Self-monitor Alcohol Consumption” by R. Lorraine Collins, Mark Muraven, and Charlene Vetter; and “Collecting Event-level Data Using the World Wide Web” by Dan J. Neal and Kim Fromme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Individual differences in subjective responses to alcohol are believed to have a genetic basis and have been associated with increased risk of alcohol-related problems. There are, however, conflicting results from past studies, perhaps owing to differences in subjective alcohol effects by limb of the blood alcohol curve and the passage of time. The current pilot study evaluated relations among serotonin transporter (SERT) genotype, subjective alcohol responses, and drinking behavior across both the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve. Method: Participants (N = 222; 68% male) were administered alcohol (target blood alcohol concentration of .06%) with a subsample (n = 86) providing genetic data. Following a social stressor, participants were provided the opportunity to engage in ad libitum alcohol consumption. Results: SERT transporter was not significantly associated with ad lib drinking or subjective alcohol effects at individual time points, although a trend toward a SERT by blood alcohol concentration limb interaction was observed for ad lib drinking. In addition, SERT genotype predicted acute tolerance to alcohol effects, with participants homozygous for the long SERT allele developing acute tolerance more rapidly than other genotypes. Conclusions: Although SERT genotype was not reliably associated with ad lib drinking behavior, the results suggest that individuals with the long-long (LL) genotype may develop acute tolerance to alcohol effects more rapidly than heterozygotes or individuals homozygous for the short SERT allele. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lifestyle Management Class (LMC) was evaluated as a universal and targeted alcohol prevention program among voluntary and mandated college students. The relative efficacy of peer- and professional- led group interventions was also tested in this randomized, controlled design. LMC participants showed decreases in driving after drinking relative to control participants. Changes in heavy drinking varied as a function of treatment condition, readiness to change, and gender, with a trend toward larger decreases among voluntary LMC participants high in readiness to change and a comparable though nonsignificant advantage for male LMC participants in the mandated sample. The LMC was comparably effective for mandated and voluntary students, with no clear advantage for peer- or professional-led groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College alcohol use and abuse is a serious problem, in part because many college students do not view their drinking as problematic. Consequently, a harm reduction approach is especially appealing for the prevention of alcohol use and associated negative consequences among this population. By taking steps to reduce the harmful effects of drinking, without requiring abstinence, harm reduction holds the potential to reach many young adults who would not otherwise utilize traditional intervention efforts. The Lifestyle Management Class (LMC) was developed as a holistic approach that embraces the tenants of harm reduction. The LMC is delivered in two, 2-h group sessions that include didactic presentations, personal exercises, individualized feedback, and facilitated discussion. The basic philosophy, content, and processes of the LMC are presented in this article. A recent intervention outcome study is also summarized in which the LMC was found to be effective as both a targeted and universal intervention approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The college environment appears to encourage heavy drinking. Consequently, correlates of student drinking were assessed at college entrance. First-semester freshmen (N = 520, 54 percent women) completed self-report measures of social affiliation and self/peer drinking for high school and college. Analyses indicated that: 1) increased drinking at college entrance mirrored perceived increases by peers, 2) perceptions of peer drinking were robustly overestimated with women displaying the larger overestimation bias; and 3) social affiliation was associated with men's drinking and moderated its relation to perceived peer drinking at college entrance. These results advance understanding of the manner in which heavy drinking patterns emerge as men and women enter college, and campus programs that consider these factors may better promote health and reduce the harms associated with heavy drinking among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: En bloc and fragmentary blackouts are distinguishable forms of alcohol-induced amnesia. The former are instances of full and permanent memory loss for intoxicated events, whereas the latter are episodes for which retrieval of experiences is facilitated by provision of cues. Beyond this nosological difference, little is known about descriptive dimensions of the two blackout types. The current study assessed their characteristics as reported by a group of heavy drinking young adults. Method: A sample of 136 young adult volunteers (54% male; mean [SD] age = 22.71 [2.23]) were administered a Time-Line Follow-Back assessment, expanded to gather descriptive information about the occurrence and characteristics of en bloc and fragmentary blackouts. Results: Although overall reporting of blackouts by the sample mirrored rates reported in prior research, prevalence and incidence of fragmentary blackouts were more than threefold those of en bloc blackouts. A surprising finding was that the two blackout types exhibited a similar range and distribution of corresponding blood alcohol concentrations. Most en bloc blackouts involved concurrent use of illicit substances; polysubstance use was reported for few fragmentary blackouts. In addition, subjective evaluations of en bloc blackouts were quite negative, whereas fragmentary blackouts were evaluated as only mildly negative. Conclusions: Beyond nosological distinctions, en bloc and fragmentary blackouts differ on several descriptive dimensions. The collective findings expand understanding of diversity in experiences that accompany memory loss after drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevention efforts would be enhanced by identification of factors that increase the greater relative risk of some college students for dangerous activities such as heavy drinking, illicit drug use, and unsafe sex. Students with Cloninger''s [Science 236 (1987) 410.] “Type II” personality characteristics or with psychopathic traits were compared on indices of drinking and risk-taking, and potential mechanisms of unique behavioral patterns were explored. Freshmen (N=331, 50% male) completed self-report measures from which students with Type II and psychopathic traits were identified and compared with the remaining sample. Students with Type II traits reported heavy drinking and frequent intoxicated risk-taking, whereas students with psychopathic traits reported frequent sober risk-taking. Both groups held strong positive outcome expectancies, yet only those with Type II traits reported weak negative outcome expectancies. Moreover, negative outcome expectancies mediated the relation between Type II traits and intoxicated risk-taking. The collective findings suggest that Type II and psychopathic traits underlie differing behavioral profiles, and that students with Type II traits may take risks when intoxicated due to limited recognition of potential negative behavioral consequences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This investigation evaluated how personality traits, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancies differentially relate to young adult substance use and high-risk sex. Experiments 1 (N = 481) and 2 (N= 73) report the development of a new questionnaire to assess self-efficacy for substance use and sexual behavior. Experiment 3 (N = 375) tested self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and trait measures of social conformity and sensation seeking as correlates of substance use and high-risk sex. Using structural equation modeling, cross-sectional analyses revealed that positive outcome expectancies had the largest association with substance use, whereas self-efficacy had the largest association with sexual behavior. Further, personality traits were related to substance use and sexual behavior indirectly through outcome expectancies, with social conformity also having a direct effect on behavior. When examined longitudinally, past alcohol and drug use served as the final pathway by which expectancies and personality impacted substance use, whereas past behavior, self-efficacy, and social conformity all contributed to high-risk sex. Results support the utility of different models for explaining, and possibly preventing, young adult substance use anti high-risk sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Despite widespread prevention efforts to decrease adolescent risk‐taking, substance use and driving after drinking (DD) are prevalent in the United States. The current study compared the efficacy of an abbreviated version of Drug Abuse and Resistance Education (DARE‐A) to a new Risk Skills Training Program (RSTP). Design Adolescent participation in drinking, drug use, DD and riding with a drunk driver was examined longitudinally. After baseline assessments, adolescents were randomly assigned to the RSTP, DARE‐A or a no intervention control group and then completed 2‐month post‐test and 6‐month follow‐up assessments. Setting Adolescents attended a mid‐sized suburban high school. Participants The sample (N = 300) was comprised of 58% females and the age range was 14–19 years. Intervention The RSTP was developed to target several risk behaviors and to examine the feasibility of conducting a brief personalized prevention program in a group setting. DARE‐A focused on increasing knowledge and understanding the deleterious effects of substance use. Measurements Risk‐taking behavior, perception of peer risk‐taking and positive and negative alcohol expectancies were assessed. Findings RSTP participants decreased participation in several risk behaviors at post‐test, but reductions were not maintained at 6‐month follow‐up. The control and DARE‐A groups increased their positive and decreased their negative alcohol expectancies. The control group increased their alcohol consumption. Conclusions Results suggest that a brief, personalized, group prevention program is a feasible approach to reducing adolescent risk‐taking. Strategies must be developed to solidify these positive changes so that they are longer‐lasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explain risk-taking behavior, personality theorists typically focus on biologically based predispositions, whereas cognitive psychologists often focus on beliefs and environmental contingencies. The current longitudinal study examined both personality traits and outcome expectancies as explanations for heavy drinking, drug use, and unsafe sexual behavior among 162 college students. Results indicated that (1) personality and past experience contribute to outcome expectancies, (2) outcome expectancies and personality independently predict substance use at 6-month follow-up, and (3) only past experience predicts subsequent risky sexual behavior. The approach taken in this research offers a bridge between personality theorists and cognitive psychologists who seek to understand why people endanger their lives in pursuit of risky activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tests expectancy and impairment explanations for the association between alcohol consumption and unsafe sexual behaviors. Intoxicated participants' demonstration of lower perceptions of risk and listing of fewer negative consequences; Stronger post-drinking perceptions of benefit among participants who expected drinking to diminish their sexual behavior.

Examines the parental and peer drinking behavior and student perceptions about parent and peer drinking through surveys of college students, their parents and their same gender best friend. How the research was done; Results and discussion.

Presents young adults' coping styles in relation to their use of alcohol. Correspondence between questionnaire and monitored measures of alcohol abuse and coping strategies; Gender differences in alcohol and coping strategies; Limitations of the investigation.

One explanation for risk-taking behavior despite warnings about the dangers is that anticipated positive consequences outweigh possible negative outcomes. In a five-part investigation, a new questionnaire was developed to assess outcome expectancies for the potential consequences of involvement in a variety of risky activities. Conceptual and methodological limitations of previously available questionnaires were addressed and content, construct, and criterion validity were demonstrated. The new questionnaire measures respondents' beliefs about the consequences of 30 risky activities, as well as their expected and actual involvement in those activities. Consistent with a large body of alcohol expectancy research, beliefs about potential benefits were found to be more reliably associated with risk-taking than were beliefs about potential negative consequences. Implications for cognitive approaches to harm reduction are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how an alcohol instructional set (intoxicated or sober) and gender affected subjects' beliefs about the negative and positive consequences of engaging in coercive and consenting sexual behaviors, as well as subjects' expressed likelihood of involvement in these activities. Participants who responded to an intoxicated set believed they were more likely to be involved in coercive sexual behaviors than those who responded to sober instructions. Males with an intoxicated set also expected fewer negative and more positive consequences from coercive sex than did other participants. For consenting sexual activities, males (regardless of set) rated negative consequences lower, positive consequences higher, and expressed a stronger likelihood of involvement than did females. Efforts to prevent sexual coercion might be enhanced by including a focus on how beliefs about alcohol may affect the expected consequences and occurrence of these acts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an obituary for G. Alan Marlatt, a pioneer in the field of addiction research and theory.

Background: Emerging adulthood is a peak period of risk for alcohol and illicit drug use. Recent advances in psychiatric genetics suggest that the co-occurrence of substance use and psychopathology arises, in part, from a shared genetic etiology. We sought to extend this research by investigating the influence of genetic risk for schizophrenia on trajectories of four substance use behaviors as they occurred across emerging adulthood. Method: Young adult participants of non-Hispanic European descent provided DNA samples and completed daily reports of substance use for 1 month per year across 4 years (N = 30 085 observations of N = 342 participants). A schizophrenia polygenic score was included in two-level hierarchical linear models designed to test associations between genetic risk for schizophrenia, participant age, and four substance use phenotypes. Results: Participants with a greater schizophrenia polygenic score experienced greater age-related increases in the likelihood of using substances across emerging adulthood (p < 0.005). Additionally, our results suggest that the polygenic score was positively associated with participants' overall likelihood to engage in illicit drug use but not alcohol-related substance use. Conclusions: This study used a novel combination of polygenic prediction and intensive longitudinal methods to characterize the influence of genetic risk for schizophrenia on patterns of age-related change in substance use across emerging adulthood. Results suggest that genetic risk for schizophrenia has developmentally specific effects on substance use behaviors in a non-clinical population of young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited data exists on mechanisms contributing to elevated risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) in bipolar disorder. Variation in subjective response to alcohol may relate to alcohol use and risk for AUD. This study used a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over, within-subjects design to investigate differences in subjective response to alcohol in 50 euthymic young adults (n = 24 with and n = 26 without bipolar disorder type I). Eighty-three percent of participants with bipolar disorder were medicated. Participants completed assessments of clinical history, alcohol expectancies, and recent alcohol use. Participants were dosed to a.08 g% breath alcohol concentration. The placebo condition occurred on a separate counter-balanced day. Subjective response to alcohol was investigated at similar time points during both conditions. Group, condition, and group-by-condition interactions were modeled, with condition and time of subjective response assessment as repeated within-subject variables, and subjective response to alcohol as the dependent variable. Greater stimulating effects and liking of alcohol were reported in people with bipolar disorder (group-by-condition interactions, p <.05) than healthy young adults. While young adults with bipolar disorder reported anticipating feeling less "mellow/relaxed" when drinking (p =.02), during both beverage conditions they reported feeling more "mellow/relaxed" (main effect of group, p =.006). Feeling more "mellow/relaxed" during the alcohol condition related to greater recent alcohol use in bipolar disorder (p =.001). Exploratory analyses suggested anticonvulsants and sedatives/antihistamines may relate to differences in subjective response to alcohol in bipolar disorder. Results suggest young adults with bipolar disorder may differ in alcohol expectancies and experience alcohol intoxication differently—with distinct relations between subjective response to alcohol and alcohol use—compared to healthy young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research using twins has found that much of the variability in externalizing phenotypes-including alcohol and drug use, impulsive personality traits, risky sex, and property crime-is explained by genetic factors. Nevertheless, identification of specific genes and variants associated with these traits has proven to be difficult, likely because individual differences in externalizing are explained by many genes of small individual effect. Moreover, twin research indicates that heritable variance in externalizing behaviors is mostly shared across the externalizing spectrum rather than specific to any behavior. We use a longitudinal, "deep phenotyping" approach to model a general externalizing factor reflecting persistent engagement in a variety of socially problematic behaviors measured at 11 assessment occasions spanning early adulthood (ages 18 to 28). In an ancestrally homogenous sample of non-Hispanic Whites (N = 337), we then tested for enrichment of associations between the persistent externalizing factor and a set of 3,281 polymorphisms within 104 genes that were previously identified as associated with alcohol-use behaviors. Next, we tested for enrichment among domain-specific factors (e.g., property crime) composed of residual variance not accounted for by the common factor. Significance was determined relative to bootstrapped empirical thresholds derived from permutations of phenotypic data. Results indicated significant enrichment of genetic associations for persistent externalizing, but not for domain-specific factors. Consistent with twin research findings, these results suggest that genetic variants are broadly associated with externalizing behaviors rather than unique to specific behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Almost one-third of college students report recent cigarette use, primarily as "social smoking," and often in conjunction with alcohol use. While city-wide indoor smoking bans effectively reduce the number of social opportunities to smoke (eg, bars and music clubs), little is known about how these bans may impact the smoking behaviors of college students. Furthermore, nothing is known about how indoor smoking bans may impact students' drinking behaviors. The current study aims to determine the impact of a city-wide comprehensive indoor smoking ban on smoking and alcohol behaviors among a longitudinal sample of emerging adults.Methods: Data are from a 6-year longitudinal study (10 waves of data collection) that began the summer before college enrollment. Participants (N = 2244; 60% female) reported on their past 3-month smoking and drinking behaviors using Internet-based surveys at each wave. Piecewise linear growth modeling was used to determine how a city-wide comprehensive indoor smoking ban (implemented in the Fall of 2005 between Waves 4 and 5) impacted smoking frequency, cigarette quantity, drinking frequency, and number of binge drinking episodes.Results: Smoking and alcohol use increased from the summer before college through the semester before implementation of the city-wide smoking ban. While smoking frequency (P < .001) and cigarette quantity (P < .05) declined after the ban, drinking frequency increased (P < .001) and the number of binge drinking episodes remained stable.Conclusions: Current findings suggest that comprehensive indoor smoking bans can influence the smoking behaviors of emerging adults, whereas trajectories of drinking are relatively unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Alcohol intoxication has been associated with dating violence perpetration, defined here as psychological and/or physical violence occurring between young adult dating partners. However, little is known about how the individual variability in the level of alcohol intoxication would influence dating violence perpetration and how sex and self-regulation might influence this association.Method: College-aged men and women (N = 146) from a large southwestern U.S. university completed background questionnaires, including the Brief Self-Control Scale, to assess self-regulation and then reported their dating violence perpetration and alcohol consumption using a 90-day Timeline Followback assessment. Their average estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) and their daily deviation from this average were calculated for each of the 90 days to examine the between- and within-person effects of alcohol consumption, respectively.Results: Results of a two-level generalized estimating equation suggest that increases in daily eBAC were associated with an increased likelihood of perpetrating dating violence; however, this association was stronger for those who had a low average eBAC compared with those who had a high average eBAC. For those who had a low average eBAC, higher self-regulation was associated with a lower probability of perpetrating dating violence, whereas among those with a high average eBAC, self-regulation was not associated with dating violence perpetration. Sex did not moderate the association between eBAC and dating violence perpetration.Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of self-regulation in dating violence perpetration-particularly for those with low average eBACs-and the need for varied intervention strategies, depending on one's typical drinking pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rates of alcohol use disorders in individuals with bipolar disorder are 3 to 5 times greater than in the general population and exceed rates of alcohol use disorders reported in other affective and anxiety disorders. Despite this high rate of comorbidity, our understanding of the psychosocial and neural mechanisms that underlie the initiation of alcohol misuse in young adults with bipolar disorder remains limited. Prior work suggests that individuals with bipolar disorder may misuse alcohol as a coping mechanism, yet the neural correlates of coping drinking motives and associated alcohol use have not been previously investigated in this population. Methods: Forty‐eight young adults (22 bipolar disorder type I, 26 typically developing; 71% women; average age ± standard deviation = 22 ± 2 years) completed the Drinking Motives and Daily Drinking Questionnaires, and a Continuous Performance Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Task with Emotional and Neutral Distracters. We calculated the relative difference in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) functional coupling with the anterior insula and amygdala in response to emotional distracters compared with neutral stimuli and investigated the relations with coping drinking motives and alcohol use. Results: Across all participants, coping drinking motives were associated with greater quantity of recent alcohol use. In individuals with bipolar disorder, greater ACC‐anterior insula functional coupling was associated with greater coping drinking motives, and greater quantity and frequency of recent alcohol use. The relative difference in ACC‐anterior insula functional coupling was not associated with coping drinking motives or alcohol use in the typically developing group. Greater ACC‐anterior insula functional coupling in individuals with bipolar disorder was also associated with greater anxiety symptoms and recent perceived psychological stress. Exploratory analyses suggest that the relations between ACC‐anterior insula functional coupling and coping drinking motives may be confounded by anticonvulsant use. Conclusion: Results suggest that a difference in ACC‐anterior insula functional coupling during emotion processing may underlie alcohol use as a maladaptive coping mechanism in young adults with bipolar disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Using alcohol at an early age is a well-documented risk factor for heavy drinking and the experience of a range of negative social and health consequences. However, it remains unclear if early consumption of any alcohol or early drinking to intoxication confers the greatest risk. Methods Age of onset ( AO) and delay to first intoxication (delay) were examined as independent predictors of heavy drinking and the experience of alcohol-related problems (problems) in a sample of incoming college freshmen ( n = 1,160) who completed biannual assessments from the summer following senior year of high school through senior year of college. The sample included more women (66%) than men and a majority were Caucasian (59%). We employed latent growth curve modeling to examine self-reported AO and delay to self-defined first intoxication as predictors of the frequency of heavy drinking and problems during year 4 of college, as well as changes in these alcohol-related outcomes from high school through college. Results An earlier AO and/or a shorter delay was associated with increased frequency of heavy drinking and problems during senior year of college. Although individuals with a later AO and/or a longer delay were at lower risk overall, they showed larger increases in heavy drinking and problems over time. Conclusions The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between AO and delay to first intoxication. Delay accounted for unique variance in drinking outcomes relative to AO, and the effects of AO were stronger when delay was included as a predictor variable. Results are discussed with regard to potential mechanisms through which an early age of intoxication may confer unique risk relative to AO. The implications for cross-cultural differences in risk for problems attributable to early drinking are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Contextual memory, or memory for source details, is an important aspect of episodic memory and has been implicated in alcohol-induced fragmentary blackouts ( FBs). Little is known, however, about how neural functioning during contextual memory processes may differ between individuals with and without a history of FB. This study examined whether neural activation during a contextual memory task differed by history of FB and acute alcohol consumption. Methods Twenty-four matched individuals with ( FB+; n = 12) and without ( FB−; n = 12) a history of FBs were recruited from a longitudinal study of alcohol use and behavioral risks and completed a laboratory beverage challenge followed by 2 functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI) sessions under no alcohol and alcohol (breath alcohol concentration = 0.08%) conditions. Task performance and brain hemodynamic activity during a block design contextual memory task were examined across 48 fMRI sessions. Results Groups demonstrated no differences in performance on the contextual memory task, yet exhibited different brain response patterns after alcohol intoxication. A significant FB group by beverage interaction emerged in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex with FB− individuals showing greater blood oxygenation level-dependent response after alcohol exposure ( p < 0.05). Conclusions Alcohol had differential effects on neural activity for FB+ and FB− individuals during recollection of contextual information, perhaps suggesting a neurobiological mechanism associated with alcohol-induced FB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent models of alcohol use in youth and young adulthood have incorporated personality change and maturation as causal factors underlying variability in developmental changes in heavy drinking. Whereas these models assume that personality affects alcohol use, the current prospective study tested the converse relation. That is, we tested whether, after accounting for the effect of traits on drinking, collegiate heavy drinking in turn predicted individual differences in change in alcohol-related aspects of personality. We also examined whether affiliation with heavy-drinking peers better accounted for this relation. Following a cohort of recent high school graduates (N = 1,434) through the college years, we found evidence for transactional relations between heavy drinking and changes in impulsivity and sensation seeking. Both traits predicted increases in heavy drinking, but more important, heavy drinking predicted increases in sensation seeking and impulsivity. In final models, social influences did not underlie the effect of heavy drinking on increases in sensation seeking and impulsivity. The results of this investigation suggest that collegiate heavy drinking may negatively and pervasively impact a wide range of behaviors because of its effect on personality change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: According to the acquired preparedness model (APM), personality traits related to disinhibition (i.e., impulsivity and sensation seeking) may influence the learning process, contributing to individual differences in cognitions (e.g., expectations about outcomes) that may contribute to engagement in and consequences of risk behaviors, including alcohol use. Although there is strong support for the APM, longitudinal studies have involved short-term follow-ups, and the relevance of the APM for alcohol-related consequences has not been clearly established. Method: Participants were 2,245 (59.9% female) incoming freshmen who completed the first of eight web-based surveys during the summer before college matriculation. Structural equation modeling was used to test a comprehensive longitudinal APM for both alcohol use and related consequences. Multigroup models were used to examine measurement and structural invariance by gender. Results: Positive (but not negative) alcohol expectancies during freshman year of college partially mediated the relation between senior year of high school disinhibition and both alcohol use and related problems during the fourth year of college, and multigroup models suggested that the relationships proposed in the APM operated similarly for women and men. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the temporal relations proposed in the APM across a longer period (4 years) than in previous studies among a large sample of ethnically diverse students. Further, the results are the first to validate the APM with respect to drinking consequences while controlling for levels of alcohol use. The results lend support for brief interventions targeting positive alcohol expectancies, particularly for individuals high in trait disinhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Discrimination is a risk factor for health-risk behaviors, including alcohol abuse. Far less is known about the mechanisms through which discrimination leads to alcohol-related problems, particularly during high-risk developmental periods such as young adulthood. Methods: The present study tested a mediation model using prospective data from a large, diverse sample of 1539 college students. This model hypothesized that discrimination would be associated with established cognitive (positive alcohol expectancies) and affective (negative affect and coping motives) risk factors for alcohol-related problems, which would account for the prospective association between discrimination and alcohol problems. Results: Structural equation modeling indicated that discrimination was associated cross-sectionally with negative affect and more coping motives for drinking, but not with greater alcohol expectancies. Coping motives mediated the prospective relationship between discrimination and alcohol-related problems. Additionally, results indicated significant indirect effects from discrimination to alcohol-related problems through negative affect and coping motives. These associations were evident for multiple groups confronting status-based discrimination, including women, racial/ethnic minorities, and lesbian/gay/bisexual individuals. Conclusions: This study identified potential affective mechanisms linking discrimination to alcohol-related problems. Results suggest several avenues for prevention and intervention efforts with individuals from socially disadvantaged groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Broad social motives (not specific to alcohol use) have been established as an important predictor of alcohol use and problems among college students, but we have little understanding of the mechanisms through which such motives operate. Thus, the current study examined broad social motives prior to college entry as a predictor of college drinking/problems and sought to identify potential mechanisms through which they are associated with increased risk. Participants comprised a sample of 2245 incoming college students (59.9% women) transitioning from high school through the college years. The first web-based survey was completed during the summer prior to matriculation with participants reporting on their behavior during the spring of high school senior year. Additional surveys were administered each academic semester through the fall of the fourth year. High school social motives were examined as a predictor of changes in alcohol use/problems from high school through the senior year, with changes in descriptive norms, personal drinking values, and alcohol expectancies from high school to sophomore year examined as possible mediators of these relations. Descriptive norms, personal drinking values, and alcohol expectancies were robust mediators of broad social motives for both alcohol use and problems. Although there were a few differences by race/ethnicity in the alcohol use model, the mechanisms through which broad social motives operated were largely invariant across groups. These findings shed light on important mechanisms that can be targeted in prevention programs, particularly those that target groups who are likely to be high in broad social motives (e.g., fraternity/sorority members). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Heavy episodic drinking (HED) among Asian Americans is a growing concern. However, little is known about the etiology and developmental patterns of HED among Asian Americans, even though this group is one of the fastest-growing populations in the United States. Design Three year longitudinal design. Participants Sample included 404 Asian American college students transitioning from high school, through the college years. Measurement Measures included heavy episodic drinking, parental and peer relationships, alcohol expectancies, drinking values, and alcohol-related problems. Findings Results from growth-mixture models (GMM) identified two discrete latent classes of HED comprising 59% of our sample: these trajectory classes (high increasers and low increasers) corresponded to expected changes and stability in well-established correlates of drinking behaviour, including alcohol-related problems, personal drinking values and alcohol expectancies. Parental awareness and caring and quality of peer relationships during senior year of high school were associated directly and indirectly with HED class membership. Conclusion These findings advance the literature by providing information about the developmental course of HED among Asian American young adults. The significant within-group variability in problematic drinking in this sample highlights the fact that subgroups of high-risk drinkers can be identified even in relatively low-risk groups such as Asian Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]