Alcohol use by undergraduate students on their 21st birthday: Predictors of actual consumption, anticipated consumption, and normative beliefs.

Abstract

Recent research has identified celebration of a 21st birthday as an environmental event during which many college students engage in risky levels of alcohol consumption. The current study examined the relationship between personality and different aspects of alcohol use during 21st birthday celebrations: actual amount consumed for those who had turned 21, anticipated amount consumed for those under the age of 21, and normative beliefs regarding the amount other students consume on their 21st birthdays. Sensation seeking and impulsivity both displayed significant bivariate relationships with all three aspects of 21st birthday drinking. Personality traits did not contribute unique variance to actual 21st birthday drinking after the effects of typical alcohol consumption were accounted for in the models. Impulsivity contributed unique variance to models accounting for anticipated drinking and normative beliefs. Additional research is necessary to better understand the role personality variables play on alcohol consumption during 21st birthday celebrations.

Friends in low places: The impact of locations and companions on 21st birthday drinking

“…One event that is strongly correlated with hazardous levels of alcohol use is a person's 21 st birthday celebration (Day-Cameron, Muse, Haunstein, Simmons, & Correia, 2009; Neighbors, Oster-Aaland, Bergstrom, & Lewis, 2006; Neighbors et al, 2011). Part of what makes this event so dangerous is that a 21 st birthday celebration is not only specific to an individual, but is a drinking rite of passage (Day-Cameron, Muse, Haunstein, Simmons, & Correia, 2009). Day-Cameron et al (2009) describe a variety of perspectives taken towards 21 st birthdays, including the prospect of an enjoyable evening with family and friends, the opportunity to experience alcohol as a legal consumer, or the chance to engage in risky behavior.…”

“…Part of what makes this event so dangerous is that a 21 st birthday celebration is not only specific to an individual, but is a drinking rite of passage (Day-Cameron, Muse, Haunstein, Simmons, & Correia, 2009). Day-Cameron et al (2009) describe a variety of perspectives taken towards 21 st birthdays, including the prospect of an enjoyable evening with family and friends, the opportunity to experience alcohol as a legal consumer, or the chance to engage in risky behavior. Overall, it is clear that a high percentage of students consume more alcohol on their 21 st birthdays than on a typical drinking occasion (Neighbors, Oster-Aaland, Bergstrom, & Lewis, 2006; Neighbors et al, 2011).…”

Use of protective behavioral strategies and their association to 21st birthday alcohol consumption and related negative consequences: A between- and within-person evaluation.

“…Of the research that has examined risk factors associated with 21 st birthday drinking, findings have shown 21 st birthday drinking to be postively associated with typical drinking, 21 st birthday drinking intentions, 21 st birthday perceived norms, sensation seeking, and impulsivity (Day-Cameron, Muse, Hauenstein, Simmons, & Correia, 2009; Neighbors, Lee, Lewis, Fossos, & Walter, 2009). Little research has evaluated factors associated with reduced drinking during 21 st birthday celebrations.…”

Relaciones asociativas entre las creencias acerca del uso social de las drogas y el consumo en estudiantes jóvenes

“…Por otro lado, en un trabajo de Pons, Berjano y García (1999) se constató la relación entre consumo de alcohol y actitudes manifiestas hacia ese consumo. También se ha encontrado que la creencia acerca de la cantidad de alcohol que consumen otros estudiantes está asociada con un mayor consumo de dicha droga (Day-Cameron, Muse, Hauenstein, Simmons & Correia, 2009). Además, parece que las actitudes de las personas acerca de las drogas están relacionadas con el consumo de las mismas (McCuller, Sussman, Dent & Teran, 2001), que tanto las actitudes de los adolescentes acerca del consumo de drogas como las normas de los grupos de iguales cambian antes de que estos comiencen a consumir (Jessor & Jessor, 1977) y que existe un cambio general de actitudes, condicionado por las creencias, previo al cambio de conducta (Pisano & Rooney, 1988).…”