College drinking and its associated problems have been a significant public health concern across the United States. College students report binge drinking at staggering rates when compared to the general population. Previous studies have shown that young adults attending college report more negative consequences associated with drinking than individuals the same age who did not attend college. Alcohol protective behavioral strategies (PBS) in this article are defined as “behavior intended to reduce alcohol use and reduce the risk of experiencing negative consequences from drinking.” The goal of this cross-sectional study is to see if race and gender distinctly moderate the sequential pathway from perceived effectiveness of PBS use to PBS use to alcohol outcome using a sample of college students.
This study consisted of 528 undergraduate students from a large public university. The majority of the sample (52.5%) was Black. This was done intentionally. The average age of the participants was 19.85 years old, and 71.6% of the sample identified as females. Demographics such as age, gender, and race were measured. Alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, PBS use, and perceived effectiveness of PBS were also measured. PBS use was measured by providing students with a list of 21 strategies and asking how often they used them.
The results of this study showed that Black college students drink alcohol less than white college students, and Black students reported greater PBS use than white students. Gender was found to have a strong correlation between the perceived effectiveness of PBS and PBS use. Female college students reported greater PBS use than male college students. The relationship between PBS use and alcohol outcomes was found to have a strong correlation in many models and for select individuals but not in the overall model examining race intersecting with gender. Overall, the study showed a stronger correlation between increased PBS use and lower consumption, more specifically for White male students, and lower problems for Black female students.
Takeaway: The study showed a stronger correlation between increased PBS use and lower consumption, more specifically for White male students, and lower problems for Black female students.