This investigation explored hindsight bias in college students' perceptions of sexual assault. Participants read a vignette about a man and woman who met at a party with the conditions varied across the vignettes: the alcohol use of the characters, the outcome of the vignette, and in the rape outcome, the victim's actions after the assault.…

This dissertation explores the newly theorized concept of "sexualized aggression" in U.S. college women's social drinking spaces (e.g., parties, bars, clubs). I developed the concept of sexualized aggression to refer to understudied and overlooked forms of sexual assault and aggression--more specifically, sexual assault that happens in…

Objective: Evaluate effectiveness of a university-wide social norms marketing campaign to reduce high-risk drinking and its consequences among students at MSU. Participants: Campaign messages regarding descriptive and injunctive norms were distributed campus-wide from 2001 to 2014 to correct norm misperceptions. Methods: Random samples of students…

Alcohol use is common among Vietnamese students. Previous qualitative findings showed Vietnamese medical students believed they were not binge drinkers while reporting many binge drinking occasions they participated in or witnessed. This dichotomy warrants examination. This study aims to establish drinking patterns and examine the factors…

Understanding the factors that make college students more likely to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes is key to developing effective interventions in order to reduce these behaviors. This study sought to understand entering college students' intentions to engage in smoking and drinking behavior by examining the cognitive accessibility (ease of…

Heavy episodic drinking among college students is a common but scarcely researched public health problem in China. Although social drinking could be regarded as an enjoyable activity across cultures, the Chinese cultural belief about alcohol use is different from that of its Western counterpart, which has been richly evidenced in the research…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine which type of prevention message (abstinence, social norms, or responsible drinking) was most effective at reducing alcohol consumption. Participants: The subjects from this study included 194 college students from a public university. Methods: Researchers employed a quasi-experimental design,…

The growing political and social divide in the United States continues to impact campus communities. Issues like freedom of speech, racism, sexual misconduct, and hazing can quickly create deep philosophical divides. While those working in student affairs who have had unique academic training related to the holistic development of all students…

Sexual violence is a significant public health issue on US college campuses. This qualitative study aimed to better understand college student perceptions of sexual violence and bystander intervention. Gendered group and individual interviews were conducted with male (n = 3) and female (n = 12) undergraduates. Eight major themes emerged which…

Researchers have identified college student-athletes as a subgroup at risk for heavy drinking and associated consequences. Yet, few studies have examined multiple variables simultaneously to determine which stand out as most robust to explain drinking behavior among student-athletes. Student-athletes from 54 National Collegiate Athletic…

The purpose of this study was to examine the way in which college students perceive binge drinking on college campuses in order to better understand the impetus behind this undesirable behavior. A survey administered on-line prompted undergraduate students to identify whether or not they perceived binge drinking to be a problem on college…

This study examined drinking motives, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems among White college athletes and college athletes of color (N = 113). Results indicated no differences in drinking motives between the 2 groups. White athletes reported higher levels of alcohol use, whereas athletes of color reported higher levels of alcohol-related…

Alcohol use among college students has received nationwide recognition as a public health concern. The primary aim of this study was to explore students' opinions of when drinking crosses the line from acceptable to unacceptable. This study used qualitative methods to: (a) examine unappealing aspects of drinking by relationship type…

Substance abuse continues to be prevalent on college campuses. This study explored the relationships between social interest, social bonding, and hazardous drinking and marijuana use among college students. Results indicate that the social bonding elements of religious commitment, respect for authority, and acceptance of conventional beliefs,…

The U.S. Surgeon General described college alcohol abuse as the most significant public health concern on university campuses (DHHS, 2007). Social norms have been identified as a strong predictor of college drinking and yet programs based on norms have had limited effectiveness in changing drinking behavior. Other theoretical explanations, such as…