Predicting negative drinking consequences: examining descriptive norm perception.
OBJECTIVE
This study explored how much variance in college student negative drinking consequences is explained by descriptive norm perception, beyond that accounted for by student gender and self-reported alcohol use.


METHODS
A derivation sample (N=7565; 54% women) and a replication sample (N=8924; 55.5% women) of undergraduate students completed the Campus Alcohol Survey in classroom settings.


RESULTS
Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that student gender and average number of drinks when "partying" were significantly related to harmful consequences resulting from drinking. Men reported more consequences than did women, and drinking amounts were positively correlated with consequences. However, descriptive norm perception did not explain any additional variance beyond that attributed to gender and alcohol use. Furthermore, there was no significant three-way interaction among student gender, alcohol use, and descriptive norm perception.


CONCLUSIONS
Norm perception contributed no significant variance in explaining harmful consequences beyond that explained by college student gender and alcohol use.
Benton
Stephen L
SL
Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-5312, USA. leroy@ksu.edu
Downey
Ronald G
RG
Glider
Peggy S
PS
Benton
Sherry A
SA
Shin
Kanghyun
K
Newton
Douglas W
DW
Arck
William
W
Price
Amy
A
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data