On average, students experience an estimated total of 102 alcohol-related consequences, such as blacking out, being hung over, or missing work or school, due to drinking across their four years in college, according to a new study led by Penn State. The research also revealed that students who think their parents disapprove of the consequences of drinking are likely to experience fewer negative consequences from drinking during college.
“We often think of peers as having an influence on drinking behaviors, but we found that parents can make a difference, even after their child has left home,” said Kimberly Mallett, research professor at the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Center and a clinical psychologist.
The research team surveyed students at a large, public northeastern U.S. university about how many alcohol-related consequences they experienced and which predictors resulted in higher rates of consequences. Although the work was conducted at a single university, the researchers said the findings likely apply to students at all colleges and universities. The findings are published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
The team followed 1,700 students for four years, surveying them twice a year. The surveys included questions to determine the amount of alcohol students were drinking, as well as the total number of alcohol-related consequences students experienced across all four years of college, as well as questions about why people experience consequences and how they view them.
Specifically, the surveys assessed the prevalence of 21 possible consequences from drinking and focused on whether they thought their parents would disapprove of 12 of those consequences, including blacking out, being hung over, or missing work or school due to drinking, said Shannon Glenn, Penn State doctoral candidate in biobehavioral health and the paper’s lead author.
The team found that the average number of alcohol-related consequences per student over the four-year period was 102. The amount of alcohol students drank impacted the total number of consequences they experienced. As drinking increased, so did consequences, Glenn said.
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