College student drinking and meaning in the pursuit of life goals.

Full Abstract

The current study was designed to examine the association between risky alcohol use and life goals among college students. Introductory psychology students completed a questionnaire that included measures of typical life goals and alcohol use behavior. Students listed their 5 most typical life goals and rated them each on a series of dimensions from which 2 factors were derived (i.e., Goal Meaning, Goal Efficacy). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the lower levels of goal meaning were associated with more heavy episodic use of alcohol and alcohol-related negative consequences. Results are consistent with motivational models of drinking that depict alcohol use as a function of satisfaction from other life goals. Findings support the importance of understanding college student drinking within the broader context of life goal appraisal.

Author information

Author/s: Palfai, Tibor P (TP); Weafer, Jessica (J);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, MA 02215, USA. palfai(-atsign-)bu.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors (Psychol Addict Behav), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jun; vol 20 (issue 2) : pp 131-4

Dates: Created 2006/06/20; Completed 2006/07/27;

PMID: 16784355, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Psychol Addict Behav. 2006 Jun;20(2):138-9; discussion 140-2. (PMID: 16784357)

CommentIn: Psychol Addict Behav. 2006 Jun;20(2):143-4. (PMID: 16784359)

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