Alcohol use is often assumed to increase sexual risk taking, but empirical evidence for event-level associations is inconsistent. The CHOICES study will examine the co-variation of alcohol use and sexual behavior as they change developmental^ across college and contextually across relationships and situations. Based on a developmental contextual perspective, CHOICES will utilize a longitudinal plus event- based diary design combining longitudinal data across 7 semesters (31/2 years) of college and event-level data across 5 weeks each semester. A multi-ethnic sample of 612 African American, Asian American, European American, and Latino American emerging adult college students will complete a series of web- based surveys.
Specific aims are to: (1) Track developmental trajectories of alcohol use, sexual behavior, and their co-variation across college;(2) Model event-level associations between alcohol use and sexual behavior;and (3) Identify person-level (e.g., gender, ethnicity), developmentally-changing (e.g., religiosity, drinking motivations), and contextually-fluctuating (e.g., partner characteristics) predictors of alcohol use, sexual behavior, and their associations. In addition to alcohol use and sexual behaviors, outcomes will include short-term consequences, health events, and academic performance. Analyses will address for whom alcohol use predicts sexual risk taking, under what circumstances, and how this association changes developmentally across the college years. Self-reports from the longitudinal and event-level web surveys will be supplemented by investigator-coded local and campus events and by academic record data through senior year. Open-ended perceptions of change in behavior will be coded to complement the quantitative ... data/Analyses will test predictions from alcohol expectancy models, alcohol myopia theory, and a routine activities perspective on situational deviance using latent growth curve modeling and multi-level models. Alcohol use and sexual behavior are primary causes of morbidity and mortality for adolescents and emerging adults. Pathways taken and lifestyles established during this pivotal period may impact health throughout """""""" adulthood. Little longitudinal research has intensively tracked the alcohol use and sexual behaviors of multi- ethnic samples of emerging adults. The CHOICES study will provide new information about the developmental and situational co-variation of alcohol use and sexual behavior, and the extent to which these links vary by person-level, developmentally-changing, and environmental variables. This examination of whether alcohol use predicts sexual risk taking within an ethnically-diverse sample of college students will inform prevention and policy development by identifying characteristics of students and of situations most at risk for hazardous behaviors.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AA016016-05
Application #
7900502
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-RPHB-H (91))
Program Officer
Freeman, Robert
Project Start
2006-08-01
Project End
2012-07-31
Budget Start
2010-08-01
Budget End
2012-07-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$352,717
Indirect Cost
Name
Pennsylvania State University
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Allied Health Profes
DUNS #
003403953
City
University Park
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
16802
Lefkowitz, Eva S; Vasilenko, Sara A; Wesche, Rose et al. (2018) Changes in Diverse Sexual and Contraceptive Behaviors Across College. J Sex Res :1-12
Layland, Eric K; Calhoun, Brian H; Russell, Michael A et al. (2018) Is Alcohol and Other Substance Use Reduced When College Students Attend Alcohol-Free Programs? Evidence from a Measurement Burst Design Before and After Legal Drinking Age. Prev Sci :
Lefkowitz, Eva S; Wesche, Rose; Leavitt, Chelom E (2018) Never Been Kissed: Correlates of Lifetime Kissing Status in U.S. University Students. Arch Sex Behav 47:1283-1293
Calhoun, Brian H; Maggs, Jennifer L; Loken, Eric (2018) Change in college students' perceived parental permissibility of alcohol use and its relation to college drinking. Addict Behav 76:275-280
Patrick, Megan E; Griffin, Jamie; Huntley, Edward D et al. (2018) Energy Drinks and Binge Drinking Predict College Students' Sleep Quantity, Quality, and Tiredness. Behav Sleep Med 16:92-105
Wesche, Rose; Lefkowitz, Eva S; Vasilenko, Sara A (2017) Latent classes of sexual behaviors: Prevalence, predictors, and consequences. Sex Res Social Policy 14:100-111
Waterman, Emily A; Wesche, Rose; Leavitt, Chelom E et al. (2017) Long-distance dating relationships, relationship dissolution, and college adjustment. Emerg Adulthood 5:268-279
Russell, Michael A; Almeida, David M; Maggs, Jennifer L (2017) Stressor-related drinking and future alcohol problems among university students. Psychol Addict Behav 31:676-687
Small, Meg L; Waterman, Emily A (2017) Time Use During First Year of College Predicts Participation in High-Impact Activities During Later Years. J Coll Stud Dev 58:954-960
Greene, Kaylin M; Maggs, Jennifer L (2017) Academic time during college: Associations with mood, tiredness, and binge drinking across days and semesters. J Adolesc 56:24-33

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