Identity consolidation and health risk behaviors in college students.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the protective role of personal identity consolidation against health risk behaviors in college-attending emerging adults.


METHODS
A multisite sample of 1546 college students completed measures of personal identity consolidation and recent risk behavior engagement.


RESULTS
Multivariate Poisson regression indicated that personal identity consolidation was negatively related to binge drinking, illicit drug use, sexual risk behaviors, and risky driving. These findings were consistent across gender, ethnicity, and place of residence.


CONCLUSIONS
A consolidated sense of personal identity may protect college-attending emerging adults from health-compromising behaviors. Health professionals could incorporate an identity development component into college health programming.
Schwartz
Seth J
SJ
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Leonard M Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA. SSchwartz@med.miami.edu
Forthun
Larry F
LF
Ravert
Russell D
RD
Zamboanga
Byron L
BL
Umaña-Taylor
Adriana J
AJ
Filton
Beryl J
BJ
Kim
Su Yeong
SY
Rodriguez
Liliana
L
Weisskirch
Robert S
RS
Vernon
Michael
M
Shneyderman
Yuliya
Y
Williams
Michelle K
MK
Agocha
V Bede
VB
Hudson
Monika
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D001334:Automobile Driving; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D014495:Universities; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult