Disaggregating Patterns of Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Consequences Among College Students

Alcohol use has been well documented as a significant health problem among the college student population. However, most discussion of this topic has aggregated students who experience both heavier patterns of drinking and consequences of alcohol use. The purpose of this investigation was to disaggregate patterns of alcohol consumption among such students, using data from two small private colleges. The CORE Survey was used in all cases. This instrument addresses demographics, patterns of alcohol use, attitudes, motives for use, and alcohol-related consequences. Data were collected from 1199 participants. Of these, 739 reported 1 or more drinks per week and were included in further analysis. Nineteen items addressed the consequences of drinking, ranging from having a hangover to being arrested for DWI/DUI. A principal components factor analysis using varimax rotation resulted in the following four factors extracted, which explained 54.45% of the variance: (1) “Acting Out” (10 items); (2) “Psychological Problem” (4 items); (3) “Sexual Advantage” (2 items); and (4) “Police Involvement” (2 items). Further investigation was conducted by standardizing scores for the “Acting Out” factor, resulting in three groups: (a) -1Keyword(s): college level issues, wellness/disease prevention, youth-at-risk