title: A profile and prediction study of problem drinking among first-year medical students.
abstract: A study was conducted to determine to what extent first-year medical students are engaged in alcohol use and if specific sociocultural and self-reported behavior characteristics can be used to develop a profile and to predict potential problem drinkers. Four geographically distinct medical schools participated in the study, with a total of 341 students completing a questionnaire regarding current alcohol use and other risk-taking behaviors. Chi-square analyses, analyses of variance, and a discriminant analysis indicated that there is a high occurrence of frequent and heavy drinking among first-year medical students. Potential problem drinkers appear to be White males whose fathers are heavy drinkers. They seem prone to a nonpassive life-style and attend church infrequently. Prevention/intervention programs in medical school can utilize these results to identify high-risk individuals early in their medical career and target them for counseling.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Georgia, Department of Family Medicine, Augusta 30912-3500.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Forney
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Ripley
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Forney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*