title: Alcohol use, mental well-being, self-esteem and general self-efficacy among final-year university students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to quantify associations between drinking and mental well-being, self-esteem and general self-efficacy among New Zealand university students approaching graduation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A web-based survey was conducted across all eight New Zealand universities in 2011. Participants were enrolled in their final year of a bachelor degree or a higher qualification and were aged 25 years and under (n = 5082, response level 65 %). Measures included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, and items from the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and General Self-efficacy Scale. Linear regression models were used to estimate associations between the psychological measures and (1) drinking patterns for all participants (abstention/moderate/hazardous); and (2) consumption indicators for non-abstaining participants (frequency/quantity/heavy drinking frequency), adjusting for a range of individual, social and personality characteristics, separately for men and women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lower mental well-being was associated with a moderate or hazardous drinking pattern for men, and a hazardous pattern for women, compared to abstaining participants. Higher self-esteem was associated with any level of heavy drinking frequency for men, while the heaviest drinking women had a pattern of lower self-esteem. There was a general pattern of higher general self-efficacy for men and women who drank alcohol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed that higher levels of drinking were associated with small, yet statistically significant, differences in psychological outcomes for men and women. Our findings are of uncertain clinical significance; however, they underscore the importance of investigating a fuller range of social and personality factors that may confound the association of drinking and psychological outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. meiling.blank@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Mei-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Blank
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jennie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, and The National Centre for Lifecourse Research, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tustin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012649:Self Concept; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; General self-efficacy; Mental well-being; Self-esteem; Students
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