Developmental changes in both alcohol use behaviors and self-reported reasons for alcohol use were investigated. Participants were surveyed every 2 years from ages 18 to 30 as part of the Monitoring the Future national study (analytic weighted sample size N = 9,308; 53% women, 40% college attenders). Latent growth models were used to examine correlations… Continue reading How trajectories of reasons for alcohol use relate to trajectories of binge drinking: National panel data spanning late adolescence to early adulthood

Because alcohol use typically is initiated during adolescence and young adulthood and may have long-term consequences, the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study annually assesses various measures of alcohol use among 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students. These analyses have found that although alcohol use among these age groups overall has been declining since 1975, levels remain… Continue reading Prevalence and predictors of adolescent alcohol use and binge drinking in the United States

Despite the public health importance of alcohol-free social programs for college students, the majority of existing campus strategies have not been empirically evaluated. This study utilized repeated daily reports to examine the association between attendance at campus-led alcohol-free programming and alcohol use on specific days while controlling for individuals’ typical rates of use. The current… Continue reading LateNight Penn State Alcohol-Free Programming: Students Drink Less on Days They Participate

The objective of this study was to identify mother, family, and individual factors associated with adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use, using mother and child self-reports.Adolescents aged 12-15 (N=276) and their mothers, who were participants in the British Cohort Study (BCS; born 1970), were both surveyed when mothers were 34 years old. Predictors included mothers’… Continue reading The link between mother and adolescent substance use: inter-generational findings from the British Cohort Study

The links between motivations for alcohol use and for sexual behaviors are not well understood. Latent profile analysis was used to identify drinking motivational profiles (based on motivations for: fun/social, relaxation/coping, image, sex; motivations against: physical, behavioral) and sex motivational profiles (motivations for: enhancement, intimacy, coping; motivations against: not ready, health, values) among college students… Continue reading Profiles of motivations for alcohol use and sexual behavior among first-year university students

AbstractPurpose To examine short-term consequences associated with consuming alcohol and energy drinks compared with consuming alcohol without energy drinks. Methods A longitudinal measurement-burst design (14-day bursts of daily surveys in four consecutive college semesters) captured both within-person variation across occasions and between-person differences across individuals. The analytic sample of late adolescent alcohol users included 4,203… Continue reading Energy Drinks and Alcohol: Links to Alcohol Behaviors and Consequences Across 56 Days