title: Drink refusal self-efficacy and implicit drinking identity: an evaluation of moderators of the relationship between self-awareness and drinking behavior.
abstract: This study evaluated the roles of drink refusal self-efficacy (DRSE), implicit drinking identity, and self-awareness in drinking. Self-awareness (assessed by public and private self-consciousness), DRSE, and implicit drinking identity (measured via an implicit association test; IAT) were expected to interact in predicting self-reported drinking. This research was designed to consider mixed findings related to self-awareness and drinking. Hypotheses were: 1) alcohol-related outcomes would be negatively associated with self-awareness; 2) implicit drinking identity would moderate the association between self-awareness and alcohol consumption; and 3) this association would depend on whether participants were higher or lower in drink refusal self-efficacy. Participants included 218 undergraduate students. Results revealed that drinking behavior was not associated with self-awareness but was positively associated with implicit drinking identity. Of the four drinking variables (peak drinking, drinking frequency, drinks per week, and alcohol-related problems), only alcohol-related problems were positively associated with self-awareness. Furthermore, a significant two-way interaction emerged between private (but not public) self-consciousness and drinking identity to predict drinking. Consistent with expectations, three-way interactions emerged between self-awareness, implicit drinking identity, and DRSE in predicting drinking. For participants low in DRSE: 1) high implicit drinking identity was associated with greater drinking frequency when private self-consciousness was low; and 2) high implicit drinking identity was associated with greater drinks per week and peak drinks when public self-consciousness was low. This suggests that alcohol-related IATs may be useful tools in predicting drinking, particularly among those low in self-awareness and DRSE.
authors.affiliation: Global Health and Population Department, Harvard School of Public Health, 1639 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02120, United States. Electronic address: dfoster@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Dawn W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Clayton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neighbors
authors.forename: Chelsie M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D064829:Alcohol Abstinence / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: IAT; Implicit association test; Private self-consciousness; Public self-consciousness alcohol