%0 Journal Article %T How strong is the "fake ID effect?" an examination using propensity score matching in two samples %J Alcoholism: clinical and experimental research %D 2016 %A Stogner, John %A Martinez, Julia A. %A Miller, Bryan Lee %A Sher, Kenneth J. %V 40 %N 12 %P 2648-2655 %X BACKGROUND: Underage college students who obtain and use false identification (fake ID) are at risk for negative outcomes. However, it is currently unclear how uniquely the fake ID itself serves as a vehicle to subsequent harm (i.e., the "fake ID effect") over and above general and trait-related risk factors (e.g., deviant peers, low self-control).

METHODS: To investigate whether the "fake ID effect" would hold after accounting for phenotypic risk, we utilized propensity score matching (PSM) in a cross-sectional sample of 1,454 students, and a longitudinal replication sample of 3,720 undergraduates. Individuals with a fake ID were matched with individuals without a fake ID, in terms of a number of trait-based and social risk factors. These matched groups were then compared on 5 problematic outcomes (i.e., frequent binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, arrests, marijuana use, and hard drug use).

RESULTS: Findings showed that "fake ID effects" were substantially-although not fully-diminished following PSM. The "fake ID effect" remained strongest for alcohol-related arrests. This may relate to issues of enforcement and students' willingness to engage in deviant behavior with a fake ID, or it may be a function of combined processes.

CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings suggest that interventions should not only be aimed at reducing the fake ID-related alcohol access specifically, but should also be aimed more generally toward at-risk youths' access to alcohol. Future research might examine whether fake IDs have their strongest potency as moderators of the effects of risky traits-such as impulsiveness-on drinking outcomes.

Copyright © 2016 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Language: en

%G en %I John Wiley and Sons %@ 0145-6008 %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acer.13240