College student drinking is a widespread public health concern in university communities throughout the United States. Clinicians and faculty alike have repeatedly recognized and delineated the impacts that harmful drinking has on students, with consequences affecting a litany of aspects of individual health and well-being. As public health officials work towards creating treatment programs for at risk students, they often rely on data illuminating the motivating factors behind drinking behaviors with the intention of treating students by modulating these personal and social factors. This study evaluates longitudinal drinking motives in first-year college students.
The study’s sample consists of 121 recently enrolled first-year students from a large undergraduate university in the United States (n=121). Additional eligibility criteria included possession of a text messaging-capable cellular phone and reporting prior month moderate drinking (4+/5+ drinks per occasion men/women or 7+/14+ drinks per week men/women). All participants completed surveys which measured the following variables: alcohol use (via Daily Drinking Questionnaire), alcohol consequences (via Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequence Questionnaire), and drinking motives (via Drinking Motives Questionnaire). Upon completion of the baseline survey, participants were randomly assigned to either receive weekly text messages containing “This Day in History”-style facts (control), or messages containing information regarding campus drinking norms. Follow up assessments occurred at 3 months and 6 months following study initiation. The data was analyzed using hierarchical linear modelling.
Results of the study found a variety of changes within motives measures over time. Social motives were found to decrease significantly only for the first three months prior to the first scheduled follow-up. Coping, enhancement, and conformity motives in general decreased between the two scheduled follow-ups. Overall drinking quantity decreased across the entire model between all assessment periods.
Takeaway: though this study has a small sample size, it suggests that drinking motives are dynamic in nature in first-year college students. Additional research is needed to identify trends in alcohol-related motive endorsement.