Perceptions of Consequences and Drinking Norms of First-Year Undergraduate Coping-Motivated Binge Drinking Behavior at Princeton University

Abstract

This study examined how perceptions of negative consequences, positive consequences, and social norms were affected by expressed motivations for drinking and gender of drinker in a first-year undergraduate binge-drinking scenario. Introduction: Research highlights that college binge drinking has a negative impact on students and often mirrors diagnosable alcohol disorders, but binge drinking is perceived as the college social norm. Positive consequences of drinking encourage more drinking while negative consequences may have no impact. Meanwhile, college populations face increasingly prevalent and severe mental health needs that outstrip campus resources and may go unnoticed. Some binge drinking behavior may be motivated by coping with feelings of stress and being overwhelmed, but these motivations also place students at an increased risk of dangerous drinking consequences. Methods: Participants were 120 (61 female, 1 agender) undergraduates who filled out questionnaires after reading 1 of 6 vignettes that reflected a 2(Gender: male or female)X3(Expressed motivation for drinking: low stress, high stress, or neutral) between-participants design. Results: Female participants perceived increased likelihood of negative consequences for male drinkers. Males perceived a difference in friendships of males who expressed low stress motivations for drinking. Discussion: Undergraduates do not distinguish between the increased risks of coping-motivated drinking and the risks of non-coping-motivated drinking. Potential explanations for these findings and implications are discussed.