Behavioral self-control strategies for deliberately limiting drinking among college students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Substance Use Research

Background:

• Alcohol consumption among college students is a significant public health concern.
• Understanding self-control strategies is crucial for developing effective interventions.
• Previous research has explored self-control but less focus has been on specific behavioral strategies in this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine behavioral self-control strategies used by college students to limit alcohol consumption.
• To investigate the relationship between self-control strategies, sex, and alcohol-related variables.
• To identify which self-control strategies are most effective in predicting alcohol consumption and problems.

Main Methods:

• A survey of 456 randomly selected college students on campus substance use.
• Analysis of commonly and least used behavioral self-control strategies.
• Examination of sex differences in strategy utilization.
• Correlational analysis of self-control with alcohol consumption and problem variables.

Main Results:

• Commonly used strategies included limiting drinking and driving, controlling environmental stimuli, and cue awareness.
• Less frequently used strategies involved self-reinforcement, alternatives to alcohol, and rate control.
• Females were more likely than males to use most behavioral strategies.
• Self-control was associated with reduced alcohol consumption, fewer alcohol-related problems, and greater perceived strategy effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral self-control strategies are utilized by college students to manage drinking.
• Specific strategies like confining drinking times and refusing drinks are strong predictors of reduced alcohol-related issues.
• Interventions could leverage these effective strategies, considering sex differences in adoption.