An examination of college students' willingness to experience consequences as a unique predictor of alcohol problems

The focus of the study was to examine (1) the unique variance between willingness to experience specific consequences (e.g., vomit) and reported experience of the consequence after controlling for drinking, and (2) the relationships between consequence specific constructs (attitudes and norms) and willingness to experience specific consequences in the context of a structural equation model. Freshmen students (n = 167) from a large northeastern university were randomly selected to participate. Results indicated willingness to experience consequences accounted for significant variance across consequence outcomes controlling for drinking. Significant relationships were observed between consequence specific constructs (attitudes and norms) and students' willingness to experience consequences. Findings provide empirical support that alcohol-related consequences have multiple determinants and are not only a function of alcohol consumption. Prevention efforts may benefit from a more comprehensive approach that includes both drinking and consequence-specific constructs as targets of change.