State Patty’s Day

Abstract

College student alcohol consumption is a major concern, and is known to increase during the celebration of special events. This study examined a student-constructed holiday, State Patty’s Day, at a university with a dominant drinking culture using three sources of data – coded data from Facebook groups, daily web surveys from first-year students (N= 227, 51% male, age 18 to 20; 27.3% Hispanic/Latino; of non-Hispanic/Latino, 26.9% of sample European American/White, 19.4% Asian American/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 15.9% African American/Black, 10.6% more than one race), and criminal offense data from police records. Results indicated that messages about State Patty’s Day on Facebook focused on drinking and social aspects of the holiday, such as the social context of drinking, a sense of belonging to a larger community, and the social norms of drinking. These messages were rarely about consequences and rarely negative. On State Patty’s Day, 51% of students consumed alcohol, compared to 29% across other sampled weekend days. Students consumed more drinks (M = 8.2 [SD = 5.3] drinks per State Patty’s Day drinker) and were more likely to engage in heavy drinking on State Patty’s Day, after controlling for gender, drinking motives, and weekend, demonstrating the event-specific spike in heavy drinking associated with this holiday. The impact of this student-constructed holiday went beyond individual drinking behavior; alcohol-specific and other crime also peaked on State Patty’s Day and the day after. Event-specific prevention strategies may be particularly important in addressing these spontaneous, quickly-constructed, and dynamic events.

Does one day of drinking matter? 21st birthday drinking predicts subsequent drinking and consequences

“…Recent data show nearly 40% of college students drink heavily, that is consuming five or more drinks in a row (4 for women) in the prior two-week period (Johnston, O'Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2013), and experience a number of alcohol-related consequences, including but not limited to increased college dropout, poor academic performance, unwanted and/or regretted sex, and injuries (Hingson, Heeren, Winter, & Wechsler, 2005; Hingson & White, 2012). Further, there is growing literature on event-specific drinking demonstrating that college students drink heavily during known periods of risk, such as tail-gating, Spring Break, holidays (e.g., New Year’s, Halloween), and in particular during their 21 st birthday celebrations (Brister, Sher, & Fromme; 2011; Neighbors et al, 2011a; Neighbors, Foster, Fossos & Lewis; 2012; Neal & Fromme 2007; Lee, Lewis, & Neighbors, 2009; Lefkowitz, Patrick, Morgan, Bezemer, & Vasilenko, 2012; Patrick, Morgan, Maggs, & Lefkowitz, 2011). Furthermore, students experience more adverse consequences during these specific occasions than on typical occasions (Brister, Sher, & Fromme; 2011; Lee et al, 2009; Lewis, Lindgren, Fossos, Neighbors, & Oster-Aaland, 2009; Lewis, Patrick, Lee, Kaysen, Mittman, Neighbors, 2012; Wetherill & Fromme, 2009).…”

Not all drinking events are the same: Exploring 21st birthday and typical alcohol expectancies as a risk factor for high-risk drinking and alcohol problems

“…21 st birthday drinking, spring break drinking, etc.) that is different from typical drinking (Brister, Sher, & Fromme; 2011; Lee, Lewis, & Neighbors, 2009; Lefkowitz, Patrick, Morgan, Bezemer, & Vasilenko, 2012; Neighbors et al, 2011; Neighbors, Foster, Fossos & Lewis; 2012a). Thus it is perhaps not surprising that perceptions and cognitions related to drinking during specific events may be different from those for typical or general drinking behavior.…”

Celebratory Drinking Among College Students: Facilitating Prevention with Social Norms Marketing and Curriculum Infusion in a Multidisciplinary Environment

“…In this study, researchers evaluated several data sources to determine how drinking on that day compared to other days. They found that students consumed twice as much on this day as on other typical weekend days, and were four times more likely to participate in heavy drinking as compared to other days (Lefkowitz et al, 2012). The phenomenon of a student-constructed holiday isn't unique.…”

“…Each event is different; much like each college and student population is different, so each must be evaluated independently. In one study, Lefkowitz, Patrick, Morgan, Bezemer & Vasilenko (2012) focus on a student-constructed holiday, where students created, advertised, and participated in an event that was not otherwise acknowledged or sanctioned. In this study, researchers evaluated several data sources to determine how drinking on that day compared to other days.…”

“…The Fourth-Year Fifth practice at the University of Virginia is a student-constructed holiday/tradition as well. As such, the Lefkowitz et al (2012) study is especially relevant. Overall, research focusing on drinking levels associated with specific events is varied and the results are often inconsistent.…”