Research & Resources

What Predicts Willingness to Experience Negative Consequences in College Student Drinkers?

Research has shown that college students who were more willing to experience negative consequences reported higher rates of alcohol consumption and negative consequences. The present study examined intra- and interpersonal consequence-specific predictors of willingness to experience negative consequences. Intrapersonal constructs (i.e., expectancies, subjective evaluations, and self-efficacy), interpersonal constructs (i.e., peer descriptive and injunctive norms), and personality constructs (i.e., self-regulation, impulsivity, and sensation seeking) were assessed in the fall semester of students’ first year in college, and willingness to experience negative alcohol-related consequences was assessed 6 months later, during the spring semester of their first year. Intrapersonal and personality constructs, as well as previous drinking, were significantly associated with willingness to experience negative consequences, whereas interpersonal constructs were not. Men were significantly more willing to experience negative consequences. College student interventions may benefit from focusing on significant constructs identified in the current study (e.g., enhancing self-regulation) and targeting students with higher willingness to experience negative consequences.

This paper, “What predicts willingness to experience negative consequences in college student drinkers?” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and published in the Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs.

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