Date of Award

2001

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

This study examined whether personality type and social variables predict: (a) binge drinking behavior, and (b) alcohol related consequences. Two hundred thirty-seven first year students from a private, Midwest, engineering college were administered the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, a Student Information Questionnaire, a Drinking Questionnaire, and the Young Adult Alcohol Problems Screening Test. Binge drinking was defined as the successive consumption of four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men in one sitting. Logistical and multiple regression analyses were performed. The judgment-perception personality type predicted binge drinking behavior. The social variables which predicted binge drinkers from abstainers and non binge drinkers included: (a) size of hometown, (b) father's level ofEducation, (c) Greek membership, and (d) age of first intoxication. Age when participants first drank and the age of their first intoxication predicted the level of alcohol related consequences. Implications discussed include incorporating personality type in the development of prevention programs, using the social norms as a prevention method and beginning the prevention process before students arrive at college.

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