A Comprehensive Examination of Alcohol-Related Motivations Among College Students: Unique Relations of Drinking Motives and Motivations for Drinking Responsibly

Public Health Significance The present study found initial support for the utility of both motivation for drinking and drinking responsibly in explaining alcohol use, its associated negative consequences, and behaviors that protect against these negative consequences among college students. These findings may inform interventions for college students that aim to address the public health burden of alcohol use among this at-risk population. Drinking motives, or reasons people choose to drink, are well-established risk factors for alcohol use and related negative consequences. Recent research has shown utility in a self-determination theory (SDT) approach for describing motivation for engaging in behaviors that reduce the harms associated with alcohol use (i.e., drinking responsibly). In the present study, we examined the relationship between drinking motives and motivations for drinking responsibly as well as their unique and incremental associations with alcohol-related outcomes (protective behavioral strategies [PBS], consumption, and negative consequences) in two samples of college student drinkers: (a) a random sample (n = 507) recruited from a Hispanic-Serving Institution on the U.S. border with Mexico (M (age) = 22.84, SD = 5.84; 67.3% female; 90.9% Hispanic) and (b) a convenience sample (n = 2,808) from Psychology Department research participation pools at 10 universities in 8 U.S. states (M (age) = 20.59, SD = 4.18; 72.9% female; 58.2% non-Hispanic White). Autonomous motivations (experience of volition and choice) for drinking responsibly were negatively correlated with drinking motives, but these correlations were small-to-medium in magnitude suggesting nonredundancy between the constructs. Drinking motives were risk factors for alcohol-related outcomes, especially alcohol-related problems, and autonomous motivations for drinking responsibly were protective factors for alcohol-related outcomes, especially PBS. Both motivational constructs predicted alcohol-related outcomes beyond the other, but drinking motives generally accounted for more variance. These findings suggest that integrating motivation in relation to both drinking and drinking responsibly may lead to a better understanding of alcohol-related behaviors and the associated negative consequences among college students. Implications for college drinking interventions are discussed.

Automated summary

The study found initial support for the utility of both motivation for drinking and drinking responsibly in explaining alcohol use and its consequences among college students. Autonomous motivations for drinking responsibly were negatively correlated with drinking motives, indicating a potential protective effect. Drinking motives were identified as risk factors for alcohol-related problems.