A Longitudinal Examination of Relations Between Competitive Athletic Participation, Drinking Norms, Impulsivity, and Sensation Seeking and Binge Drinking Throughout College

Public Health Significance Statement This study indicates that collegiate athletes are at higher risk for binge drinking prior to entry into college and remain at risk throughout enrollment, even when accounting for several known risk factors which are closely related to athletic populations. Objective: College athletes are a high-risk group for heavy drinking and related risky behaviors and consequences. However, most prior work examining drinking behavior in college athletes has been cross-sectional. Drinking norms predict drinking among athletes, but other potential risk factors, including personality traits have received limited attention. Method: Using data from a large sample (n = 2,245) of college students, we examined athletic participation, high-risk personality traits (i.e., impulsivity, sensation seeking), and perceptions of peer drinking behavior (descriptive and injunctive norms) as predictors of binge drinking from prior to college entry through 2 years postcollege. Negative binomial latent growth models were used to examine these predictors of patterns of drinking across the college years. Results: Binge drinking increased through the first 3 years of college before leveling off and decreasing postcollege. Controlling for significant effects of sensation seeking and perceptions of peer attitudes and drinking behaviors, athletic participation at T1 was associated with greater binge drinking at matriculation and greater athletic participation was associated with greater risk across the college years. Normative perceptions and sensation seeking also predicted concurrent drinking in Year 4 of college and impulsivity emerged as an additional predictor. Sensation seeking emerged as a significant predictor of greater postcollege binge drinking. Athletic participation in Year 4 of college indicated no significant risk for greater binge drinking during Year 4 or following graduation. Conclusions: Early participation in competitive athletics was associated with risk for binge drinking, even when accounting for several social and personality factors. Future studies using momentary assessment may be fruitful for identifying within-subject pathways of risk, including athlete specific factors.

Automated summary

This study shows that college athletes are more likely to binge drink both before and during college, even when considering several known risk factors related to athletic populations. Factors such as drinking norms and personality traits were found to predict binge drinking. Sports participation before college entry was associated with binge drinking at matriculation, and continued participation in sports was associated with increased risk throughout the college years.