title: Predicting Binge Drinking in College Students: Rational Beliefs, Stress, or Loneliness?
abstract: We proposed a conceptual model to predict binge-drinking behavior among college students, based on the theory of planned behavior and the stress-coping hypothesis. A two-wave online survey was conducted with predictors and drinking behavior measured separately over 2 weeks' time. In the Wave 1 survey, 279 students at a public university in the United States answered questions assessing key predictors and individual characteristics. In the Wave 2 survey, 179 participants returned and reported their drinking behavior over 2 weeks' time. After conducting a negative binomial regression, we found that more favorable attitude toward drinking and less perceived control of drinking at Wave 1 were associated with more binge drinking at Wave 2; subjective norm at Wave 1 was not a significant predictor of binge drinking at Wave 2; students with higher stress at Wave 1 engaged in more binge drinking at Wave 2, but those with higher loneliness did not. Implications of findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Studies, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA cindychen@shsu.edu.
authors.forename: Yixin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas Hugh
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Feeley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities
keywords: binge drinking; college students; loneliness; stress; theory of planned behavior