title: College student drinking and meaning in the pursuit of life goals.
abstract: The current study was designed to examine the association between risky alcohol use and life goals among college students. Introductory psychology students completed a questionnaire that included measures of typical life goals and alcohol use behavior. Students listed their 5 most typical life goals and rated them each on a series of dimensions from which 2 factors were derived (i.e., Goal Meaning, Goal Efficacy). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the lower levels of goal meaning were associated with more heavy episodic use of alcohol and alcohol-related negative consequences. Results are consistent with motivational models of drinking that depict alcohol use as a function of satisfaction from other life goals. Findings support the importance of understanding college student drinking within the broader context of life goal appraisal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, MA 02215, USA. palfai@bu.edu
authors.forename: Tibor P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Palfai
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weafer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities