Sex differences in motivations for and effects of drinking among college students

A sample of college students (70 men and 70 women, each group composed of equal numbers of heavy and light drinkers) completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Form V of the Sensation Seeking Scale, the S-R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, as well as seven other measures directly assessing alcohol-related attitudes and behavior. It was hypothesized that heavy drinkers would evidence strong sensation-seeking needs with a specially high need for disinhibition. It was also predicted that heavy-drinking women would display more adjustment problems than other students and would report greater anxiety than men when drinking in situations involving social evaluation or interactions with members of the opposite sex. The first hypothesis was confirmed: heavy drinkers did exhibit strong sensation-seeking needs. However, heavy-drinking women were not characterized by adjustment problems nor did they report greater anxiety in drinking situations. The results suggest that women tend to drink to enhance social pleasures, whereas men expect a greater degree of aggressive arousal and social deviance when drinking.