Protective behavioral strategies, social norms, and alcohol-related outcomes

Abstract

The present study examined the unique contributions of protective behavioral strategies and social norms in predicting alcohol-related outcomes. Participants were 363 students from a large public university in the Midwest who reported at least one binge-drinking episode (5+/4+ drinks for men/women in one sitting) in the past 30 days. Data were collected from January 2010-March 2011. We used the structural equation modeling (SEM) to test models where protective behavioral strategies (PBS) and social norms were predictors of both alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, after controlling for the effects of gender. Both PBS and descriptive norms had relationships with alcohol use. PBS also had a relationship with alcohol-related problems. Overall, the findings suggest that PBS and social norms have unique associations with distinct alcohol-related outcomes. © 2014 Informa UK Ltd. All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted.

Publication Title

Addiction Research and Theory

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