title: Personality traits and drinking to cope as predictors of hazardous drinking among medical students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and development of drinking to cope and hazardous drinking among medical students and to examine whether various personality traits and drinking to cope predict hazardous drinking.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a 6-year prospective study of a nationwide sample of medical students (N = 421) assessments were made by questionnaire at the beginning (T1) and at the end (T2) of each participant's tenure at medical school. A cohort of 272 medical students (56% women) from all medical schools in Norway participated at both T1 and T2. The questionnaires encompassed measures of personality characteristics (Basic Characteristic Inventory) and alcohol-use (hazardous drinking and drinking to cope).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of drinking to cope and hazardous drinking were not significantly different between T1 and T2, rising from 9.2% to 11.8% and from 17.7% to 19.2%, respectively. Hazardous drinking at T1 (odds ratio [OR] = 7.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.2-15.4) and level of control (personality trait) at T1 (OR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.6-0.9) predicted hazardous drinking at T2 among all the students. Hazardous drinking (OR = 3.5; 95% CI: 1.4-9.0), control (OR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.6-0.9) and drinking to cope at T1 (OR = 5.0; 95% CI: 1.0-24.1) independently predicted hazardous drinking at T2 among the men, whereas the only predictor among the women was hazardous drinking at T1 (OR = 42.1; 95% CI: 8.1-218.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drinking to cope should be targeted for preventive measures against hazardous drinking, particularly among men. The effects of personality and drinking to cope differ by gender and should be studied further.
authors.affiliation: Atferdssenteret, Unirand AS, P.O. Box 1565 Vika, 0118 Oslo, Norway. john.kjobli@atferd.unirand.no
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kjøbli
authors.forename: Reidar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tyssen
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vaglum
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Aasland
authors.forename: Nina T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Grønvold
authors.forename: Oivind
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ekeberg
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology; D010556:Personality Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data