Objective The current study examined the dimensionality of a protective behavioral strategies (PBS) measure among undergraduate, predominantly freshmen (92.5%) college students reporting recent alcohol use (r = 320). Method Participants completed a web-based survey assessing 22 PBS items. Factor analyses determined the underlying factor structure of the items. Congruence of the factor structure among gender and racial sub-groups was examined by rotating the sub-groups’ matrices via the Procrustes rotation method. Reliability analyses determined internal consistency. Results A 2-factor solution was retained utilizing 17 of the original items. Both PBS sub-scales (Limits and Avoidance) had acceptable internal consistency across all samples. Conclusions This PBS Scale was determined to be bi-dimensional and reliable. The dimensions suggest two underlying foci: ways to limit alcohol intake and ways to avoid alcohol intake while socializing. Practical implications of these findings are discussed.

This study examined college freshmen who intentionally drink alcohol to get drunk (DTGD). Survey data from 307 incoming freshmen college students living in freshmen residence halls who reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days were analyzed. The majority (76.9%) of these self-reported drinkers reported DTGD. Relative to other freshmen drinkers, those who reported DTGD were significantly more likely to have consumed alcohol before going out to a party or bar, participated in a drinking game, drank heavily on a non-school night but not on a school night, used liquor, used beer, combined alcohol and drugs, experienced a hangover, vomited, passed out, and/or blacked out. The associations support DTGD as a measure of pre-meditated, controlled, and intentional consumption of alcohol to reach a state of inebriation. Common intentional drunkenness as observed in this study population may have implications for college alcohol risk reduction programs.

Objective This study examined secondhand effects college students experienced from others’ alcohol use and their relationship with student characteristics and alcohol-related perceptions about wing-mates. Participants Incoming freshmen (n=509) residing in predominantly freshmen dormitories. Methods A web-based survey was administered two months into the 2006 fall academic semester. Linear Mixed Modeling was utilized to examine the independent relationships of secondhand effects with student characteristics and perceptions. Results Most (80%) students experienced at least one secondhand effect. Perceiving wing-mate acceptance and expectation of alcohol use, and inability to protect against wing-mate secondhand effects as well as being female and a drinker were related to experiencing secondhand effects. Conclusions Incoming college freshmen frequently experienced secondhand effects. Involving dormitory wings in norms-based interventions aimed at reducing secondhand effects warrant evaluation. Further research is also warranted on skill-building among college students to resist and intervene into others’ drinking and on Resident Advisor negotiation of their roles as both engenderers of trust/cooperation and enforcers of alcohol rules.

An intervention to reduce college alcohol use and secondhand effects was tested. Freshmen dormitory wings at a large Mid-Atlantic public university were assigned to single-gender [SG] or mixed-gender [MG] Information-Motivation-Behavior (IMB) workshops implemented during the first weeks of school, or a control condition. Students were surveyed before school began and at 2- and 6-month follow-up. Analyses indicated that, among males, the adjusted mean weekly alcohol use was lower in the SG than the control condition (1.89 vs. 2.72, p=.041). Among females, the adjusted mean weekly alcohol use was lower in the MG than the SG (1.60 vs. 2.44, p=.021) and control condition (1.60 vs. 2.27, p=.056). Further research should identify underlying mechanisms for effective alcohol behavior change among male and female wing-mates.

Objective This study examined the relationship between drinking motivations and college students’ experiences with unwanted sexual advances. Participants Undergraduates, from a public university in the mid-Atlantic region, who reported recent (30 day) alcohol use (n=289) completed an online survey midway through the spring 2007 academic semester. Methods Experiencing an unwanted sexual advance was the outcome of interest for the present study. The independent variables included socio-demographics and a three-factor (social ease, social image or reputation, emotional distress) drinking motivation measure. Prevalence estimates as well as unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios were produced. Results A strong relationship was found between having an unwanted sexual advance and recent binge drinking as well as drinking to remove emotional distress (OR= 3.40 and 2.73 respectively for the total sample; OR=7.27 and 2.82 for females). Conclusions Findings suggest that experiencing an unwanted sexual advance is associated with specific drinking motivations and more likely to occur among females. Further research is needed to fully understand pathways and implications.