Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Drinking game participation is widespread in the U.S. college student population and has been shown to be associated with heavy drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences. Prior research has identified several predictors of alcohol use and alcohol-related negative consequences. Additionally, prior investigations have indicated that alcohol-related negative consequences are related to an individual's motives for using alcohol. College students have reported a variety of reasons for playing drinking games that are associated with higher levels of alcohol use, problems, and various personality dimensions and affective states. Although previous studies have also suggested that motives for drinking are the final common pathway to drinking behaviors that mediate the effects of more distal predictors such as personality dimensions and affective states, relatively few studies have examined motivations for drinking in the social context of drinking game involvement. The current study tested a series of path models treating motives for playing drinking games developed by Johnson and Sheets (2004) as mediators of the relationship between affect-related variables, personality dimensions, and drinking game involvement (N = 492, 69.1% female, mean age = 19.74). Overall, the final model provides support for the notion that various affect and personality related variables are associated with motives for playing drinking games, drinking game involvement, and negative alcohol-related consequences. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed as well as suggestions for future research.

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