Social Greek-letter organizations, more commonly known as fraternities (male-only) and sororities (female-only), are a longstanding tradition at colleges and universities in the United States. They claim to instill leadership skills in and offer a support network for members. However, in this article Wesley Routon and Jay Walker state that…

College drinking and its adverse consequences on students' health and safety are important public health concerns in the USA. Thus far, there is little attention on exploring and addressing the cultural dimensions of college drinking. This study examines the construction of meaning of drinking among students to understand their perspectives of the…

More than 1,700 students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related causes, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). These students succumb to alcohol poisoning, cardiac arrest, or injuries from falls off dorm room balconies or other heights on campus. The problem of binge drinking, defined…

Results of a convenience sample of predominately white undergraduate students from a large public university in the Midwest. Students were surveyed with regard to their views about alcohol consumption. The sample was divided between 239 libertarians and 192 supporters of collective responsibility as defined by their positions on alcohol…

Examined views of 133 college students regarding excessive drinking. Students accepted levels of drinking by peers that markedly exceeded definitions of excessive drinking by experts. Sizable minority of students refused to label very dangerous behaviors associated with excessive drinking as indicating drinking problem. Views of male and female…

Compared beliefs of problem and non-problem drinking Irish-American college students with regard to alcohol consumption, its causes, and its consequences. Results indicated that problem drinkers adhered more strongly than non-problem drinkers to beliefs that could either initiate or perpetuate problem drinking. (Author)

Conducted multiphase qualitative study of college students' (n=807) perspectives on being a designated driver. Findings revealed a multifaceted role for designated drivers that entailed caretaking, safe driving, and adherence to alcohol consumption constraints, but not necessarily abstinence. Findings have implications for student development…

Examined attributions that college students (n=96) made about individual who committed suicide. Gender of victim and alcohol involvement were systematically varied. Women appeared to place more emphasis on contextual clues such as alcohol use and gender. Both women and men tended to associate alcohol use and suicide for male actors but not for…

Investigated whether the prediction of drinking might be enhanced by considering salience of alcohol expectancies rather than mere endorsement. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that expectancy salience significantly improved the prediction of total alcohol consumption above and beyond the effects of expectancy endorsement. Expectancy…

Reports on a nationwide sample of 52 colleges and universities examining the relationship between students' self-reported drinking patterns and problems and college administrator's perceptions of those problems, and the existence of campus alcohol policies, programs, and services. Results show little relationship between the three factors.…

Examined college student (n=552) drinking behavior and explored underlying reasons for continued excessive drinking. Results revealed alcohol-related physical symptoms, negative behavioral outcomes, and high incidence of driving while alcohol impaired. Students who were frequent drinkers showed little, if any, concern for their own drinking…

College students (n=713) responded to questions about alcohol effects, their own alcohol use, and their beliefs about risks associated with alcohol use for college students in general and for themselves in particular. Knowledge did not predict reduced use or abuse patterns, nor did perceived risk of abuse for students in general. (Author/ABL)

Explores the relationship between alcohol-induced blackouts and alcohol expectancies in 123 college students. Found significant correlations between students' alcohol expectancies, level of alcohol abuse, and blackout history. Students who experienced blackouts had higher positive alcohol expectancies than those without blackouts. Other findings…

Investigated relationship between background characteristics of fraternity pledges (N=108) and alcohol consumption during first month of pledgeship. Found heavier alcohol consumption strongly correlated with positive view of its socialization value and with prior incidences of problems associated with alcohol use. Found lesser relationship between…

Female (N=21) and male (N=21) college students were asked to estimate their amount of daily alcohol consumption via a modified version of the Drinking Practices Questionnaire. Males reported drinking significantly more alcohol than females. However, when subjects' body weights were used to compare estimated blood alcohol levels (BAC) rather than…