Binge drinking is increasingly being recognized as a major problem among college populations and has serious adverse consequences. Numerous educators have argued that drinking and alcohol-related problems represent one of the most significant social problems of our nation's college campuses. It is often asserted that the foundations for binge drinking behavior are established during early adolescence and high school. Yet there are few empirical studies that have explored this issue in a rigorous way. The present study applies a comprehensive social psychological theory to the analysis of binge drinking in college youth. It also analyzes binge drinking in adulthood from features of the individual's environment, upbringing, and personality during adolescence. The project uses data from the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a two wave panel study of approximately 20,000 adolescents in grades 7 through 12. These adolescents will be re-interviewed in the year 2000, approximately five years after their initial interview. An in depth survey on binge drinking will be administered to a sample of 700 first and second year college students, with more general questions being reserved for the larger study population. The major aims of the research are (1) to conduct an in depth analysis of social psychological correlates of binge drinking in college youth, (2) to predict transitions towards and away from binge drinking of college students relative to their experiences in grade school and high school prior to attending college, and (3) to explore adolescent correlates of binge drinking during young adulthood for non-college populations.
| Quinlan, Shannon L; Jaccard, James; Blanton, Hart (2006) A decision theoretic and prototype conceptualization of possible selves: implications for the prediction of risk behavior. J Pers 74:599-630 |
