Binge drinking occurs when a male consumes at least five drinks, or a female consumes four drinks within two hours. Heavy drinking is at least ten drinks for males and eight for females within a week. These two activities are widespread among college-aged students, although Black students have shown lower rates of binge drinking when compared to White Students. One of the possible explanations listed in this study is that Black cultural norms engrain absence to avoid exploitation resulting from public drunkenness. When drinking excessively, Black students are often more likely to experience long-lasting consequences beyond their college years.
This study aims to identify risk factors for higher alcohol consumption among Black students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). A total of 282 students participated in this study. All students attend an HBCU and are between the ages of 18 and 27. Those who did not identify as monoracial or biracial Black were excluded. Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) were measured using the Finkelhor-adapted version of the ACE questionnaire. Alcohol consumption, depressive symptoms, and coping drinking motives were also measured.
The results of this study show that childhood adversity indirectly influences excessive drinking. ACEs positively predicted depressive symptoms, which in turn positively indicated coping-motivated drinking. This then led to higher alcohol use and more frequent drinking. This study is one of the first to establish a link for Black students between depressive symptoms and coping-motivated drinking. HBCUs foster ethic pride and prosocial which has been shown to decrease the risk of alcohol abuse. However, these colleges could still benefit from prevention and intervention strategies because Black students with high childhood adversity are still at a higher risk for coping-motivated drinking.
Takeaway: Childhood adversity indirectly influences excessive drinking. Adverse Childhood Experience positively predicted depressive symptoms, which in turn positivity predicted coping-motivated drinking.