Alcohol use contexts (social settings,drinking games/specials,and locations) as predictors of high-intensity drinking on a given day among U.S. young adults

Background

This study examined whether variability in young adult drinking social settings, drinking games/drink price specials, and locations differentiated daily high-intensity drinking (HID) likelihood; whether contexts varied by legal drinking age and college status (attending a 4-year college full-time); and whether legal drinking age and college status moderated drinking context/intensity associations.

Methods

Participants (n = 818 people, 46.3% female) were part of the Young Adult Daily Life Study in 2019 to 2022. They were originally selected because they were past 30-day drinkers from the 2018 U.S. national probability Monitoring the Future 12th grade sample and because they reported one or more days of alcohol use during 14-day data collection bursts across the following 4 years (n = 5080 drinking days). Weighted multilevel modeling was used to estimate drinking context/intensity associations. Drinking intensity was defined as moderate (females 1 to 3, males 1 to 4 drinks), binge (4 to 7, 5 to 9 drinks), or HID (8+, 10+ drinks). Models controlled for other within-person (weekend, historical time period) and between-person (sex and race/ethnicity) covariates.

Results

Contexts differentiating HID and binge drinking days included drinking with large groups, strangers, pregaming, drinking games, and more drinking locations. Legal drinking age was associated with lower odds of free drinks but greater odds of drinking at bars/restaurants. College status was associated with lower odds of drinking alone or free drinks, but greater odds of drinking with friends, large groups, pregaming, drinking games, discounted price drinks, and at bars/restaurants, parties, and more drinking locations. Legal drinking age and college status moderated some context-intensity associations.

Conclusions

Social settings, pregaming, drinking games, and drinking at more locations were associated with increased risk of HID on a given day. Legal drinking age and college status were associated with specific drinking contexts and moderated some context/intensity associations. Incorporating the contexts associated with HID into interventions may help to reduce HID and related consequences in young adults.     

Questions about the validity of the binge or heavy drinking criterion have implications for more than just treatment evaluation

Commentary to: Questioning the validity of the 4+/5+ binge or heavy drinking criterion in college and clinical populations     

UPPS-P facets of impulsivity and alcohol use patterns in college and noncollege emerging adults

Background: Alcohol use and related problems reach a peak in emerging adulthood. Impulsivity is a multifaceted construct known to be involved in emerging adult alcohol use. Few studies have examined impulsivity and alcohol use across both college attending and noncollege attending emerging adults. Objectives: To clarify the multifaceted nature of impulsivity and its links to emerging adult alcohol use, this study investigated whether the five distinct facets of the UPPS-P model of impulsivity were predictive of three different behavioral outcomes: alcohol intake, alcohol related problems and binge drinking. In addition, the moderating effects of college attendance were tested. Methods: A community sample comprising 273 Australian college and noncollege attendees (58.6% women; 41.4% men) aged between 18 and 30 years (M_age = 23.71, SD = 2.81). Results: Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that lack of premeditation predicted alcohol intake and binge drinking behavior, whilst positive and negative urgency predicted alcohol related problems. Moderation analyses revealed that the effects of impulsivity on alcohol patterns were consistent for college and noncollege attending emerging adults. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of impulsive urgency (both positive and negative) in emerging adult problematic alcohol use, and support the generalizability of college samples to broader emerging adult populations. Emerging adults may use alcohol to avoid negative mood states and further enhance positive mood states. Improved emotional regulation may help both college and non-college emerging adults reduce their alcohol use.     

Substance use and periodontal disease among Australian Aboriginal young adults

Aim To investigate the effects of tobacco, marijuana, alcohol and petrol sniffing on periodontal disease among Australian Aboriginal young adults. Design Cross‐sectional nested within a long‐standing prospective longitudinal study. Setting Aboriginal communities in Australia's Northern Territory. Participants Members of the Aboriginal Birth Cohort study who were recruited from birth between January 1987 and March 1990 at the Royal Darwin Hospital, Northern Territory, Australia. Data were from wave III, when the mean age of participants was 18 years. Measurements Clinical dental examination and self‐report questionnaire. Findings Of 425 participants with complete data, 26.6% had moderate/severe periodontal disease. There was elevated risk of periodontal disease associated with tobacco [prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.06–2.40], marijuana (PR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.05–1.97) and petrol sniffing (PR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.08–3.11), but not alcohol (PR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.67–1.27). Stratified analysis showed that the effect of marijuana persisted among tobacco users (PR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.03–2.11). It was not possible to isolate an independent effect of petrol sniffing because all petrol sniffers used both marijuana and tobacco, although among smokers of both substances, petrol sniffing was associated with an 11.8% increased prevalence of periodontal disease. Conclusions This is the first time that substance use has been linked with periodontal disease in a young Australian Aboriginal adult population, and the first time that petrol sniffing has been linked with periodontal disease in any population. The role of substance use in periodontal disease among this, and other, marginalized groups warrants further investigation.     

Socioeconomic status and drinking patterns in young adults

Aims To investigate the relationship between several indicators ofsocioeconomic status and drinking patterns in young adulthood. Design Data collected in a longitudinal study of young adults was analysed usingrepeated‐measures models to examine the relationship between income, occupationalactivity and educational achievement and patterns of drinking. Setting These data were collected as part of a longitudinal study ofa birth cohort of New Zealanders. They were interviewed for themost part in a central location using a face‐to‐face methodand a computer‐assisted alcohol interview. Participants The participants were members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Healthand Development study aged 18, 21 and 26 years. Nine hundred andsixty‐nine study members contributed to the analysis. Study membershave been found to be broadly representative of the New Zealandpopulation and cross national studies suggest findings are generalizableto other similar market economies. Measurements Three indicators of socioeconomic status were used; educationalachievement, occupational activity and income. The educational achievementindicator at age 18 had three levels that ranged from no school qualificationsto higher school qualifications. For age 21 two additional categoriesof tertiary educational achievement were included to make five categories andfor age 26 higher tertiary degrees were included in the measureto make six categories. Five categories of occupational activitywere used. Income data was also used. Two measures of alcohol consumptionwere used. These were the frequency of drinking and the typicalquantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion in the past year. Findings Frequency of drinking increased over these early adult yearsand the quantities consumed peaked at age 21 and decreased thereafterfor both males and females. Frequency of drinking was influencedby income with the higher income respondents drinking more oftenand this was persistent overtime. Quantity of drinking was mostinfluenced by educational achievement. The less well‐educated youngadult drank significantly more during a drinking occasion and atall ages. There was also a relationship between educational achievement andfrequency of drinking for males at age 18 and a relationship between women’soccupational activity and the quantities they consumed. Conclusions The finding that the dimensions of drinking operate differently explainsthe lack of consistency in previous research, which has investigated socioeconomicstatus and the volumes of alcohol consumed. The findings of higherquantities consumed among those of lower social status may explain someof the reduced life expectancy found among those with lower socioeconomicstatus.