title: Alcohol-related problems and life satisfaction predict motivation to change among mandated college students.
abstract: The present study investigated the role specific types of alcohol-related problems and life satisfaction play in predicting motivation to change alcohol use. Participants were 548 college students mandated to complete a brief intervention following an alcohol-related policy violation. Using hierarchical multiple regression, we tested for the presence of interaction and quadratic effects on baseline data collected prior to the intervention. A significant interaction indicated that the relationship between a respondent's personal consequences and his/her motivation to change differs depending upon the level of concurrent social consequences. Additionally quadratic effects for abuse/dependence symptoms and life satisfaction were found. The quadratic probes suggest that abuse/dependence symptoms and poor life satisfaction are both positively associated with motivation to change for a majority of the sample; however, the nature of these relationships changes for participants with more extreme scores. Results support the utility of using a multidimensional measure of alcohol related problems and assessing non-linear relationships when assessing predictors of motivation to change. The results also suggest that the best strategies for increasing motivation may vary depending on the types of alcohol-related problems and level of life satisfaction the student is experiencing and highlight potential directions for future research.
authors: Auburn University, Department of Psychology, 226 Thach Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, United States.
authors: Andrea R
authors: AR
authors: Diulio
authors: Auburn University, Department of Psychology, 226 Thach Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, United States.
authors: Ian
authors: I
authors: Cero
authors: Auburn University, Department of Psychology, 226 Thach Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, United States.
authors: Tracy K
authors: TK
authors: Witte
authors: Auburn University, Department of Psychology, 226 Thach Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, United States. Electronic address: correcj@auburn.edu.
authors: Christopher J
authors: CJ
authors: Correia
mesh_terms: D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D037141:Mandatory Programs; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012940:Social Problems / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Alcohol; College students; Life satisfaction; Motivation to change