Decisional balance for immoderate drinking in college students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Immoderate alcohol consumption is prevalent among college students.
• This behavior is linked to serious negative consequences.
• Understanding the decision-making process behind immoderate drinking is crucial for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate measures of Decisional Balance for Immoderate Drinking.
• To assess the decision-making process college students use when considering immoderate alcohol consumption.
• To integrate this construct within the Transtheoretical Model of Change.

Main Methods:

• A 25-item decisional balance questionnaire was administered to 629 college students.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine the structure of the measure.
• External validity was assessed using alcohol consumption, negative sequelae, and Stage of Change variables.

Main Results:

• Factor analyses suggested both two-factor and three-factor solutions for decisional balance.
• A three-factor solution was selected, comprising Pros, Cons-Actual, and Cons-Potential of immoderate drinking.
• The Cons-Actual scale measures negative affective states, while Cons-Potential assesses risks of concrete negative effects.

Conclusions:

• The developed Decisional Balance for Immoderate Drinking measure, particularly the three-factor solution, shows psychometric validity.
• This measure effectively captures the cognitive processes influencing college students' decisions about immoderate drinking.
• Findings support the integration of decisional balance within the Transtheoretical Model for understanding and addressing college student drinking behaviors.