title: Drinking games as a venue for sexual competition.
abstract: Based on sexual selection theory, we hypothesized that sex differences in mating effort and social competitiveness-and subsequent sex differences in sexual and competitive motivations for participating in drinking games-are responsible for the well-documented sex differences in college students' drinking game behaviors. Participants in a cross-sectional study were 351 women and 336 men aged 17 to 26. In a mediation model, we tested sex differences in mating effort, social competitiveness, sexual and competitive motivations for participating in drinking games, drinking game behaviors, and alcohol-related problems. Men participated in drinking games more frequently, consumed more alcohol while participating in drinking games, and experienced more problems associated with drinking. These sex differences appeared to be partially mediated by mating effort, social competitiveness, and sexual and competitive motivations for participating in drinking games. Drinking games are a major venue in which college students engage in heavy episodic drinking, which is a risk factor for college students' behavioral and health problems. Thus, the functional perspective we used to analyze them here may help to inform public health and university interventions and enable better identification of at-risk students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Liana S E
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Hone
authors.forename: Evan C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McCullough
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology*; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D057566:Self Report; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1992 Aug;63(2):280-96
references.pmid: 1403617
references.citation: Behav Brain Sci. 2000 Aug;23(4):573-87; discussion 587-644
references.pmid: 11301543
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Rev. 2007 Sep;26(5):469-75
references.pmid: 17701509
references.citation: AIDS Care. 1994;6(4):393-7
references.pmid: 7833356
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 2011 Apr;100(4):664-80
references.pmid: 21038972
references.citation: Heredity (Edinb). 1948 Dec;2(Pt. 3):349-68
references.pmid: 18103134
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2007 Jan;68(1):97-105
references.pmid: 17149523
references.citation: J Am Coll Health. 2002 Mar;50(5):203-17
references.pmid: 11990979
references.citation: J Am Coll Health. 2010 Mar-Apr;58(5):499-506
references.pmid: 20304762
references.citation: Hepatology. 1996 May;23(5):1025-9
references.pmid: 8621128
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1997 Nov;73(5):1052-63
references.pmid: 9364760
references.citation: Br J Addict. 1990 Nov;85(11):1483-90
references.pmid: 2285845
references.citation: Psychol Rep. 1993 Aug;73(1):115-20
references.pmid: 8367548
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1983 May;44(5):1021-4
references.pmid: 6864443
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 1993 Apr;100(2):204-32
references.pmid: 8483982
references.citation: J Am Coll Health. 2003 Jan;51(4):149-54
references.pmid: 12735390
references.citation: Psychol Addict Behav. 2004 Jun;18(2):91-9
references.pmid: 15238050
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol Suppl. 2002 Mar;(14):148-63
references.pmid: 12022721
references.citation: Addiction. 2002 Apr;97(4):401-13
references.pmid: 11964057
references.citation: Addict Behav. 1999 Mar-Apr;24(2):279-86
references.pmid: 10336109
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2002 Feb;26(2):272-9
references.pmid: 11964568
references.citation: Addict Behav. 1998 Jan-Feb;23(1):65-79
references.pmid: 9468744
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1991 Jun;60(6):870-83
references.pmid: 1865325
references.citation: Addict Behav. 2007 Nov;32(11):2694-705
references.pmid: 17574344
references.citation: J Gen Psychol. 2004 Jul;131(3):304-20
references.pmid: 15248595
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1995 May;68(5):901-16
references.pmid: 7776186
references.citation: Addict Behav. 2006 Nov;31(11):2105-15
references.pmid: 16600523
references.citation: Addict Behav. 2002 Jan-Feb;27(1):145-53
references.pmid: 11800221
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1995 Nov;69(5):990-1005
references.pmid: 7473043
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol Drugs Suppl. 2009 Jul;(16):12-20
references.pmid: 19538908
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007 Feb;31(2):185-99
references.pmid: 17250609
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol Suppl. 2002 Mar;(14):23-39
references.pmid: 12022728