title: Predictors of alcohol-related outcomes in college athletes: the roles of trait urgency and drinking motives.
abstract: Research has shown that college students participating in athletics drink more than other students, yet relatively few studies have examined variables that are associated with alcohol-related outcomes among this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among trait urgency, general drinking motives and sport-related drinking motives, and both alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Data were collected from 198 college students participating in either intercollegiate or recreational athletics at three U.S. universities. Structural equation modeling was used to examine a series of theoretically derived explanatory models. All variables included in the model were directly associated with alcohol use and/or alcohol-related problems. The specific patterns of relationships differed across the motives and trait urgency variables. Sport-related coping motives, sport-related positive reinforcement motives, and general enhancement motives had direct relationships with alcohol use, while trait urgency, general coping motives, and sport-related positive reinforcement motives had direct relationships with alcohol-related problems. Several indirect effects on alcohol use and alcohol-related problems were also found. This study suggests that general drinking motives, sport-related drinking motives, and trait urgency all serve as important predictors of alcohol-related outcomes in college athletes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. martensmp@missouri.edu
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Martens
authors.forename: Eric R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Sherry H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013177:Sports; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult