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Heavy drinking contexts and indices of problem drinking among college students
1Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, New York 13244-2340, USA.
Objective:
Heavy drinking among college students carries with it the risk of adverse consequences. This study explored the relationship between alcohol-related problems and the social-emotional contexts of drinking in college students.
Method:
Undergraduate volunteers (N = 139; 61% female; 27% minority) completed an assessment of drinking patterns, the short form of the Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS-42) and an alcohol problems index.
Results:
Heavy drinkers drank more, relative to light/moderate drinkers, in five of the eight situations assessed by the IDS-42. Several IDS-42 subscales correlated highly with the number of alcohol-related problems. Subjects identified by their extreme scores on the IDS-42 reported more alcohol problems, greater maximum quantities consumed and more frequent intoxication.
Conclusions:
The IDS-42 can identify the contexts in which heavy drinking occurs and individuals who are likely to experience alcohol problems.