"Hazardous drinking among university students remains a significant public health crisis on college campuses. According to the Core Institute (2012), nearly 44% of college students reported heavy episodic drinking during the previous two weeks. Alcohol use results in numerous problems experienced by college students, including impaired driving and death (Hingson, Zha, & Weitzman, 2009). In response, there has been a call within the literature to develop theoretically derived mediation models to investigate the complex array of variables that influence collegiate drinking behaviors (Baer, 2002; Oei & Morawska, 2004). By examining the multiple pathways of alcohol use, tailored interventions can be designed that target appropriate contributing factors for high-risk drinking groups (Dowdall & Wechsler, 2002). The purpose of this study was to test a model of collegiate drinking comprised of several key determinants of alcohol use: descriptive norms, injunctive norms, positive alcohol outcome expectancies, negative alcohol outcome expectancies, and four types of drinking motives (coping, conformity, social reinforcement, and enhancement). The motivational model of alcohol use (Cox & Klinger, 1988, 2011) was used as a framework for conceptualizing the unique role that each variable played in contributing to drinking outcome variables (alcohol use intensity and alcohol-related negative consequences). It was posited that drinking motives would fully mediate the associations between psychosocial determinants of drinking (social norms and alcohol outcome expectancies) and drinking outcome variables. Path analysis was utilized to examine associations among the variables and to assess the fit of the hypothesized model with a sample of 445 full-time undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 24 years old. A final, revised model accounted for 45% of the variance in both alcohol use intensity and alcohol-related negative consequences. Whereas enhancement drinking motives and social norms variables emerged as important predictors of alcohol use intensity, negative drinking motives acted as key predictors of alcohol-related negative consequences. Results of bootstrapping analyses indicated that drinking motives significantly mediated the indirect relationships between several psychosocial determinants and drinking outcome variables. Multiple group tests of invariance indicated that the revised model was an acceptable fit among male and female students as well as underclassmen and upperclassmen. Several implications for counselors and counselor educators were gleaned from the results. In the future, researchers should design and evaluate targeted interventions that are tailored for college drinkers based on their primary motives for alcohol consumption."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, adults ages 18-29 are among those with the greatest number of alcohol related problems. In the past year, over 3 million college students drove under the influence of alcohol, and 400,000 students had unprotected sex as a result of alcohol intoxication. This research examined the association between actual and perceived drinking norms among college students, as well as the association between binge drinking and other risky behaviors. Analyses used cross-sectional data from the Spring, 2011, administration of the National College Health Assessment II at UNC Charlotte. Nearly 75% (n=827) of students reported non-binge drinking behavior, but 53.7% perceived that the typical student binge drank. After adjustment for other factors, students who perceived other students to be excessive binge drinkers had 4.75 (95% CI: 1.19, 18.91) times the odds of a recent binge drinking episode themselves. Binge drinkers had 7.77 (95%CI: 1.74, 34.69) and 3.86 (95%CI: 1.29, 11.57) times the odds of driving after drinking and having unprotected sex, respectively. Excessive binge drinkers had 7.30 (95%CI: 1.48, 36.00) and 6.56 (95%CI: 2.01, 21.38) times the odds of the same behaviors, respectively. In order to reduce the gap between actual and perceived drinking norms, the campus Social Norm Campaign should be further explored and regularly evaluated. In order to develop supplementary intervention strategies, further investigations should identify additional unknown factors that influence students" alcohol consumption.

This instructive manual presents a pragmatic and clinically proven approach to the prevention and treatment of undergraduate alcohol abuse. The BASICS model is a nonconfrontational, harm reduction approach that helps students reduce their alcohol consumption and decrease the behavioral and health risks associated with heavy drinking. Including numerous reproducible handouts and assessment forms, the book takes readers step-by-step through conducting BASICS assessment and feedback sessions. Special topics covered include the use of DSM-IV criteria to evaluate alcohol abuse, ways to counter student defensiveness about drinking, and obtaining additional treatment for students with severe alcohol dependency. Note about Photocopy Rights: The Publisher grants individual book purchasers nonassignable permission to reproduce selected figures, information sheets, and assessment instruments in this book for professional use. For details and limitations, see copyright page.

Updating and expanding the classic Psychological Theories of Drinking and Alcoholism, this fully revised second edition incorporates state-of-the-art presentations from leaders in the alcoholism field. Contributors review established and emerging approaches that guide research into the psychological processes influencing drinking and alcoholism. The volume's multidisciplinary approach also takes into account biological, pharmacological, and social factors, offering important insights into the development and escalation of drinking problems and the various approaches to treatment. Including significantly expanded coverage of developmental, social learning, and cognitive theories, the book features new chapters on genetics, neurobiology, and emotions.

Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous - both to themselves and society at large. Underage alcohol use is associated with traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, educational failure, and other problem behaviors that diminish the prospects of future success, as well as health risks â€" and the earlier teens start drinking, the greater the danger. Despite these serious concerns, the media continues to make drinking look attractive to youth, and it remains possible and even easy for teenagers to get access to alcohol. Why is this dangerous behavior so pervasive? What can be done to prevent it? What will work and who is responsible for making sure it happens? Reducing Underage Drinking addresses these questions and proposes a new way to combat underage alcohol use. It explores the ways in which may different individuals and groups contribute to the problem and how they can be enlisted to prevent it. Reducing Underage Drinking will serve as both a game plan and a call to arms for anyone with an investment in youth health and safety.

Background. Little is known about how the excessive drinking culture entrenched in college social life influences the fear of missing out (FOMO) on the binge drinking experience among college students and how such fear plays in the mechanisms linking various risk factors with binge drinking intentions. Objectives. The main objectives of this dissertation were to 1) extend previous research on the general fear of missing out (FOMO) by investigating the effects of perceived peripherality, the need to belong, and fear of social exclusion, 2) develop and validate a self-report measure of alcohol-related FOMO, and 3) assess the role of alcohol-related FOMO in increasing binge drinking intentions through mediating the effect of alcohol positive expectancies, reducing alcohol negative expectancies, and enhancing susceptibility to peer norms. Method. A college student sample (N = 490; 66.3% female) completed a one-shot survey. Self-report data was analyzed using correlational and regression analyses, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation modeling along with mediation, moderation, and multi-group analyses. Results. The need to belong emerged as the best predictor of FOMO, accounting for most of its explained variance. With regard to the scale development, factor analyses supported an 18-item multidimensional scale tapping the alcohol-related FOMO (ALFOMO). The scale demonstrated good internal consistency, satisfied the requirements for convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity, and was free of gender bias. Additionally, ALFOMO was a significant focal predictor of binge drinking intentions. It significantly mediated the effect of alcohol positive expectancies, reduced the severity of negative expectancies, and mediated and moderated the positive effect of peer descriptive norms. Conclusions. This dissertation presents the development and initial validation of the alcohol-related FOMO scale. The present work also provides the first theoretical and empirical investigation of the alcohol-related FOMO in relation to alcohol expectancies, peer norms, and binge drinking intentions. Results confirm that the ALFOMO scale is a promising measure and provide evidence for its indispensability in future research and interventions. Contributions, implications, and limitations are further discussed in light of the findings.

Presents the state of the art in diagnosis, psychobiology, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy across the vast spectrum of mood disorders, and includes a wealth of illustrations, tables and references.