No Fear, Just Relax and Play: Social Anxiety, Alcohol Expectancies, and Drinking Games Among College Students

Abstract

Findings suggest that social anxiety acts as a protective or a risk factor for DG participation among college students, depending upon AOE.

Social anxiety and drinking game participation among university students: the moderating role of drinking to cope

“…Despite this theoretical basis, at present, only two studies have looked at the relationship of social anxiety with frequency of drinking game participation, and both failed to find a positive association (38,41). This finding may be due to the measurement of drinking game activity, with both studies asking participants how often they participate in drinking games.…”

“…While neither Johnson et al (38) nor Ham et al (41) found a positive relationship of social anxiety with frequency drinking game participation, they did find that the relationship was moderated by particular alcohol outcome expectancies (AOEs). AOEs are beliefs on projected consequences of drinking alcohol (42).…”

“…Games distribute attention evenly across the group (4) ensuring that no individual is singled out for negative evaluation. Games may also focus attention away from the larger social context and may reduce participants' anxiety in that setting (6,39). Rules allow players to focus on the game, not more personal topics, and should players wish to continue to interact after the game, the drinking game experience provides a common topic of conversation (40).…”

“…Drinking game participation has been identified as an important component of drinking in university settings and is associated with binge drinking behaviors (4,5). Drinking games refer to activities with rules governing consumption of alcoholic beverages, with the common goal of achieving rapid intoxication (6). The prevalence of drinking game participation among university students is high (7) with one study identifying that 91% of drinkers participated in drinking games (8).…”

Introduction to the Special Issue on College Drinking Games

“…Kenney et al (19) refines our understanding of the intersection between social anxiety and alcohol cognitions in respect to drinking games. Such research is important, as socially anxious students may avoid playing drinking games out of fear that they will embarrass themselves while playing (20) or may be more inclined to play drinking games since they facilitate rapid intoxication within a structured social context, thus alleviating anxiety (7,21). Drinking refusal self-efficacy and social anxiety may be especially important to consider as moderators of the association between drinking games participation and negative drinking consequences because socially anxious students may not be confident in their ability to refuse alcohol in the face of social pressure, thereby potentially increasing their risk for negative outcomes (19).…”