Citation

Park A, Kim J, Gellis LA, Zaso MJ, Maisto SA. J. Am. Coll. Health 2014; 62(8): 517-525.

Affiliation

a Department of Psychology , Syracuse University , Syracuse , New York.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07448481.2014.929579

PMID

24901736

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Although the association of impulsivity with diverse alcohol outcomes has been documented, the mechanisms by which impulsivity predicts drinking over time remain to be fully characterized. We examined whether positive drinking consequences, but not negative drinking consequences, mediated the association between impulsivity and subsequent binge drinking, over and above prior binge drinking. Participants: Participants were 171 college students.

METHODS: Participants completed two online surveys with an average interval of 68 days between assessments at Time 1 (September to October, 2012) and Time 2 (November to December, 2012).

RESULTS: Path analysis showed that, among five facets of impulsivity, the effect of sensation seeking on subsequent binge drinking was completely mediated by prior positive consequences. No mediating effects of negative consequences were found.

CONCLUSIONS: Prior experience of positive drinking consequences may serve as one of the risk pathways by which sensation seeking shapes binge drinking over time. Personalized intervention strategies may utilize information about students' impulsivity facets to address their binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences.

Language: en