Race- and university-specific norms associated with alcohol use among Black college students

Approximately one-third of college students engage in heavy episodic drinking. Although White students drink more than Black students, White individuals are more likely to mature out of heavy drinking, whereas Black individuals drink more as they age and experience disproportionate alcohol-related consequences. Compared to their White counterparts, limited research has examined factors associated with alcohol use among Black college students. Descriptive drinking norms based on the typical college student are strong predictors of college student drinking, but previous research found that this association was weaker for Black college students. Therefore, the current study is a preliminary examination of perceived drinking norms (descriptive) and approval (injunctive) based on race for Black college students. Further, we explored likelihood of excessive drinking around other Black students. The current study included survey responses of 192 Black college students from a large southeastern US university. Results indicated that university and race-specific descriptive norms, but not university and race-specific injunctive norms, were associated with more drinks per week. These findings suggest that descriptive norms with Black students at the participant's university as the normative reference group are associated with alcohol use among Black students. Further, greater likelihood of drinking excessively around peers who share the same racial identity may impact alcohol consumption for this population. Current prevention programs for college student drinking are tailored by gender rather than race; however, preliminary findings from the current study suggests that tailoring by race may be an effective way to prevent alcohol misuse among Black college students.