title: Do protective behavioral strategies moderate the relationship between negative urgency and alcohol-related outcomes among intercollegiate athletes?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effect of protective behavioral strategies on the relationship between negative urgency and alcohol outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were college students who endorsed participating in club/intramural or varsity athletics. The students (N = 234; 73.9% female) completed measures of negative urgency, protective behavioral strategies, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. Separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted for each subscale of the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale to test for moderation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicated that protective behavioral strategies aimed at serious harm reduction moderated the relationship between negative urgency and alcohol use, whereas strategies aimed at avoiding excessive or rapid drinking moderated the relationship between negative urgency and alcohol-related problems. Strategies that involved planning drinking activities in advance did not moderate the relationship between negative urgency and alcohol outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current investigation provides further evidence for the role of protective behavioral strategies against known risk factors for alcohol use and related problems. Further, the paper suggests that type of strategy used matters when attempting to mitigate the relationship between negative urgency and alcohol outcomes. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. weavercc@missouri.edu
authors.forename: Cameron C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Martens
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult