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The present study used a prospective longitudinal design to examine whether willingness to experience negative alcohol-related consequences mediated the effects of personality on consequences (e.g., blacking out, getting into a fight, and regretted sex). Students (N = 2024) were assessed at three time points: fall semester of the students' first year in college (baseline), 6-months post-baseline, and one-year post-baseline. Personality constructs were assessed at baseline (i.e., impulsivity, sensation seeking, self-regulation), willingness to experience negative alcohol-related consequences was assessed at baseline and 6-months, and negative alcohol-related consequences were examined at baseline and one-year post-baseline. A structural path model was used to examine if willingness mediated the effects of personality on consequences. Baseline drinking was included as a covariate in the model. Results demonstrated willingness to experience consequences significantly mediated the effects of impulsivity, sensation seeking, and self-regulation on consequences. Findings from this study support the idea that consequence-specific cognitions, such as willingness, can explain changes in consequences associated with personality. This suggests that intervention efforts aimed at reducing negative alcohol-related consequences could benefit from the inclusion of consequence-specific cognitions, personality (e.g., impulsivity, sensation seeking, and self-regulation), and drinking., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The current study examined two research aims: (1) Identify latent statuses of college students who share common patterns of single or repeated experiences with distinct types of negative alcohol-related consequences during the first two years of college; and (2) Examine how changes in students' living arrangements were associated with transitions in the consequence statuses. Using a sample of college student drinkers (N = 1706), four latent statuses were identified that distinguished among distinct combinations of single and repeated experiences across the multiple consequence subtypes: No Consequences, Physical Non-Repeaters, Multiple Consequences, and Multiple Consequences Repeaters. Students who remained in on-campus living spaces were most likely to belong to lower-risk statuses at T1, and remain in those statuses at T2. We found that moving into Greek housing had strongest effects among students who started in the No Consequences status, while students who moved to off-campus housing were most likely to remain in the Multiple Consequences status. Given that students who moved out of on-campus residences were more likely to transition into high-risk statuses, interventions that target students who intend to move to off-campus or fraternity housing should be implemented during the first year of college., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Recent evidence suggests interpersonal protective behaviors (IPBs) may be more effective than alcohol-based strategies at decreasing alcohol-related sexual consequences. However, no studies have examined individual IPBs to assess their unique influences on specific sexual consequences. The current study used a longitudinal design to examine the direct effects of typical weekly drinking and specific IPBs on unwanted sex. IPBs were also examined as moderators of the relationship between drinking and unwanted sex., Methods: Randomly sampled female drinkers attending a northeastern university (N=191) completed a baseline survey measuring typical weekly drinking and IPBs and a six-month follow-up assessing unwanted sex. Bootstrapped regression examined the effects., Results: Drinking predicted unwanted sex after accounting for IPBs (range of bs=.008-.009, SE=.005, 95% CI [.000, .02]). Vigilance-related IPBs were negatively associated with unwanted sex after controlling for drinking (b=-.052, SE=.025, 95% CI [-.107, -.008]). The IPB "Talking to people who know one's potential dating or sexual partner to find out what s/he is like" significantly moderated the drinking-unwanted sex relationship (b=-.009, SE=.004, 95% CI [-.018, -.003]). At above-average drinking levels, women who used this IPB more frequently reported fewer episodes of unwanted sex., Conclusion: Findings revealed obtaining information about a potential partner significantly reduced the impact of drinking on unwanted sex for heavier drinkers. Future research examining how women implement this IPB may clarify its role in reducing unwanted sex., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)