Citation

Frank C, Thake J, Davis CG. J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 2012; 73(5): 839-843.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

22846249

Abstract

Objective: Many students report using strategies believed to reduce risk of harm from consumption of alcohol. The effectiveness of these strategies was tested in this study. Method: A sample of 442 undergraduate students (50.5% female) was asked to report how many alcoholic drinks they consumed on a recent drinking occasion, which protective strategies were used, and which harms were experienced. Results: Although reported use of more protective strategies was associated with less consumption, it appeared to be unrelated to harmful consequences. More detailed analyses suggested that only a small subset of strategies (primarily those concerning the manner of drinking) was consistently associated with reduced consumption and/or harms. Conclusions: The findings cast doubt on the efficacy of protective strategies or at least the validity of the self-report instruments used to assess these strategies. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 73, 839-843, 2012).

Language: en