Citation

LaBrie JW, Pedersen ER, Neighbors C, Hummer JF. Addict. Behav. 2008; 33(6): 812-820.

Affiliation

Loyola Marymount University, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90045, United States. jlabrie@lmu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2008.01.002

PMID

16042994

Abstract

Heavy drinking among college students is a well-established national concern. An in-depth look at the characteristics and traits of heavy drinking students is an essential precursor to the development of successful targeted interventions with at-risk students. The current study examines the role self-consciousness (private, public, social anxiety) plays in the experience of alcohol-related consequences among a sample of 1,168 student members of campus organizations. Male gender predicted drinking in the sample, while both private self-consciousness and social anxiety predicted less drinking. Public self-consciousness predicted alcohol-related consequences over and above the variance explained by drinking for both males and females. Additionally, both gender and social anxiety moderated the effect of drinking on problems. Heavier drinking female students and heavier drinking students high in social anxiety appear more susceptible to the experience of negative consequences. These results highlight the direct and indirect impact that self-consciousness and gender have on college students' experience of alcohol-related negative consequences.

Language: en