Identification with drinking predicts increases in drinking behaviors (but not vice versa).

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Cross-sectional studies link acknowledging and frequently thinking about a drinking identity to increased alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking.
• A drinking identity may represent a latent variable influencing drinking behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if facets of drinking identity indicate a latent drinking identity variable.
• To investigate if drinking identity predicts increases in alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking risk.
• To examine if drinking behaviors predict increases in drinking identity.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study with 422 college students assessed near graduation and eight months later.
• Measured drinking identity endorsement, drinking identity thought frequency, alcohol consumption, and risk for hazardous drinking.

Main Results:

• Drinking identity endorsement and thought frequency positively indicated a latent drinking identity variable.
• Drinking identity was concurrently associated with alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking risk at both time points.
• Greater drinking identity predicted subsequent increases in alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking risk, but drinking behaviors did not predict changes in drinking identity.

Conclusions:

• Findings support an expanded conceptualization of drinking identity.
• Greater identification with drinking prospectively predicts increased drinking behaviors.
• Drinking identity should be considered in interventions to reduce hazardous drinking.