Young adults who are in college are at high risk of drinking to intoxication and binge drinking, especially in comparison to their non-college-attending peers. Previous studies have revealed that underage drinkers are at an increased risk of developing an alcohol use disorder compared to individuals of legal drinking age. Disengagement is used to assess problematic attitudes and beliefs about substance-related behaviors. The goal of this study is to identify students who are most likely to endorse underage drinking disengagement beliefs and examine the predictive utility of underage disengagement on alcohol use above and beyond other already known predictors.
This study comprised 3,681 college students from the 2020-21 academic year. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 25 and had consumed alcohol or another substance in the past month. Demographics such as age, sex assigned at birth, race, primary living situation, and Greek membership were gathered. Alcohol use disorder identification test-consumption was used to assess the typical quantity of drinking, as well as the frequency of alcohol use and binge drinking. Underage drinking disengagement was also measured by a 13-item survey called the Underage Drinking Disengagement Scale-College Student. High scores represented higher levels of disengagement from underage drinking among college students, which means that the college student believes that underage alcohol use is socially justified and not as severe as other problems.
Results of this study showed that underage drinking is associated with a multitude of problematic outcomes, and underage drinking disengagement cognition among college students may serve as a way for individuals to rationalize alcohol consumption among underage college student drinkers by altering views of alcohol use in a way that make the behavior seem less harmful or by shifting responsibility for underage drinking onto others. Overall, this study suggests that underage college students, members of a Greek organization, those living with other peers, or those who believe that their campus is a “party school” report increased disengaged beliefs that view underage drinking as not problematic. Greek membership and perception of party school were also associated with diffusing blame onto peers and authority figures.
Key Takeaway: Underage college students, members of a Greek organization, those living with other peers, or those who believe that their campus is a “party school” report increased disengaged beliefs that view underage drinking as not problematic.