Attitudes and Descriptive Norms of Alcohol-Related Problems as Predictors of Alcohol Use among College Students

Background: The purpose of this study is to identify predictors of alcohol use based on personal values and several constructs from the Integrated Behavioral Model (i.e., attitudes, injunctive norms and descriptive norms) among undergraduate college students. Methods: A cross sectional study design was used with a convenience sample of college students. Researchers administered a self-reported instrument to students who were enrolled at a large, public university in the Southeastern United States (US) in fall 2010 (n = 910). Backward stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to examine which of the independent variables (i.e., personal values, attitudes, perceived norms related to alcohol use and alcohol-related problems) and demographic variables were predictive of alcohol use. Results: The overall model explained 45.6% of the variance of average drinks per week and included the following significant predictors: Greek involvement, gender, attitudes, and descriptive norms of alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: Understanding predictors of alcohol use can help health educators and other health professionals tailor interventions to college-aged students.