Blackouts are a period of memory loss associated with alcohol consumption over a short time period. Blackouts are common among young adults with as many as 50% reporting lifetime history. This is a major public health concern as blackouts have been associated with negative outcomes including injury and sexual victimization. Therefore understanding attitudes, social norms, and intentions related to heavy alcohol use has become an important focus of research in order to prevent these high-risk alcohol consumption behaviors. This study examines the effect of descriptive and injunctive norms, attitudes toward heavy drinking, and drinking intentions on prospective change in experiencing a blackout among college students.
The study’s sample consisted of 910 college students from two universities in the Northeastern United States (Sample 1 N=431; Sample 2 N=479) who were mandated to complete an alcohol intervention. Surveys were completed at baseline, 1-, and 3- month follow-ups. Participants were asked to report how many drinks they consumed each day in a typical week during the past month and any blackout experiences during the past month. Descriptive and injunctive drinking norms, attitudes toward alcohol use, and drinking intentions were also assessed. Data was analyzed using latent growth curve models to determine the effect of norms, attitudes, and intentions as predictors of prospective changes in blackouts.
Results of the data analysis showed that blackout experiences were significantly and positively correlated with drinking variables, attitude toward heavy drinking, and drinking intentions at all time points. In Sample 1 50% of participants reported no blackout at any time point and in Sample 2 46% of participants reported no blackout experiences. Descriptive and injunctive norms and drinking intentions were not significantly predictive of change in blackout at follow up surveys. On the other hand, attitude toward heavy drinking significantly and positively predicted perspective change in experiencing a blackout.
Takeaway: Attitudes toward heavy drinking may serve as a predictor of prospective changes in blackouts among college students.