A confirmatory factor analysis of a revised motives for playing drinking games (MPDG-33) scale among university students in the United States.

AIM: Participating in a drinking game (DG) is common practice among university students and can increase students' risk for heavy drinking. Given the theoretical link between motivations to drink and alcohol use, careful consideration should be given to students' motivations to play DGs. In this study, we examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of a revised version of the motives for playing drinking games (MPDG) scale, the MPDG-33. METHODS: University students (n = 3345, Mage = 19.77 years, SDage = 1.53; 68.8% = women; 59.6% = White) from 12 U.S. universities completed a confidential online self-report survey that included the MPDG-33 and questions regarding their frequency of DG participation and typical drink consumption while playing DGs. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated the 7-factor model fit the data adequately, and all items had statistically significant factor loadings on their predicted factor. All subscales had adequate to excellent internal consistency and were positively correlated with the frequency of DG participation and the typical number of drinks consumed while playing DGs (though the correlations were small). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the MPDG-33 can be reliably used in research and clinical settings to assess U.S. university students' motives for playing DGs.

Comparing Drinking Game Motives, Behaviors, and Consequences Among Varsity Athletes, Recreational Athletes, and Non-Student-Athletes: A Multisite University Study.

OBJECTIVE: Among college students, student-athletes are at increased risk for heavy alcohol consumption, participation in risky drinking practices (e.g., playing drinking games [DG]), and adverse alcohol-related consequences relative to non-student-athletes. Within the student-athlete population, level of sports participation (e.g., recreational or varsity sports) can affect alcohol use behaviors and consequences, but our understanding of the extent to which level of sports participation influences engagement in DG is limited. Thus, in the present study, we examined differences in frequency of participation in DG, typical drink consumption while playing DG, negative DG consequences, and motives for playing DG among varsity, recreational, and non-student-athletes. METHOD: College students (n = 7,901 across 12 U.S. colleges/universities) completed questionnaires on alcohol use attitudes, behaviors, and consequences. RESULTS: Student-athletes (recreational or varsity sports) were more likely to have participated in DG within the past month than non-student-athletes. Among students who reported past-month DG play, recreational athletes played more often and endorsed more enhancement/thrills motives for playing DG than non-student-athletes, and student-athletes (recreational or varsity) endorsed higher levels of competition motives for playing DG than non-student-athletes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings shed light on some risky drinking patterns and motives of recreational athletes who are often overlooked and under-resourced in health research and clinical practice. Recreational and varsity student-athletes could benefit from alcohol screening and prevention efforts, which can include provision of competitive and alcohol-free social activities and promotion of alcohol protective behavioral strategies to help reduce recreational athletes' risk for harm while playing DG.

A national study on pregaming motives, frequency, consumption, and negative alcohol consequences among university students in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Pregaming, or drinking before going out, is a commonly practiced risky behavior. Drinking motives are well-established predictors of alcohol use and negative alcohol consequences. Given the influence of context on drinking practices, motives specific to pregaming may affect pregaming behaviors and outcomes above and beyond general drinking motives. Thus, we examined how pregaming motives are related to pregaming behaviors and negative alcohol consequences. METHODS: Using data from two national cross-sectional online studies, the current study included undergraduates who pregamed at least once in the past month (n=10,200, Mage=19.9, women=61%, white=73.6%; 119 U.S. universities). Participants completed assessments of demographics, general drinking motives, pregaming motives, pregaming frequency/consumption, and negative alcohol consequences. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear models accounting for nesting of participants within sites. RESULTS: When controlling for demographic factors and general drinking motives, interpersonal enhancement motives and intimate pursuit motives were positively associated with pregaming frequency, pregaming consumption, and negative alcohol consequences. Situational control motives were negatively associated with pregaming consumption and negative alcohol consequences. Barriers to consumption motives were negatively associated with pregaming frequency but positively associated with negative alcohol consequences. CONCLUSIONS: Students who pregame to make the night more fun or to meet potential dating partners appear to be at particular risk for negative alcohol consequences. Motives may be modifiable, particularly via cognitive/behavioral strategies. Findings suggest that specific motives may be appropriate intervention targets when trying to reduce pregaming behaviors and negative alcohol consequences.

Trait mindfulness weakens the relationship between Snapchat use and alcohol-related outcomes.

Objective:Previous studies identified Snapchat as the most likely social media platform for depictions of excessive drinking and consequences. We sought to further examine this relationship and the possible protective impact of trait mindfulness.Method:A sample of 838 college students completed a survey assessing self-reported alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences, trait mindfulness, and individual and peer alcohol-related Snapchat posts.Results:Viewing more peer's Snapchats was associated with increased alcohol-related consequences, except at high levels of trait mindfulness. When controlling for the individual's Snapchat posts, the significant relationship between peer's Snapchats and consequences remained at low levels of trait mindfulness but not for moderate levels. The protective effect of high levels of trait mindfulness endured.Conclusion:Increasing trait mindfulness may help buffer the negative influence of viewing peer's alcohol-related Snapchats on alcohol-related consequences. Further examining how trait mindfulness interacts with peer norms offers important avenues for future research.

A Restorative Justice Intervention in United States Prisons: Implications of Intervention Timing, Age, and Gender on Recidivism.

Restorative justice seeks to balance the needs of the victim, offender, and community by repairing the harm caused by crime and wrongdoing and improving the prosocial competencies and accountability of the offender in response to an offense. Restorative justice interventions (RJIs) offer an alternative method to reduce harm and short- and long-term recidivism. However, empirical validation of mechanisms and moderating factors warrant additional inquiry within jail and prison settings. Thus, the authors sought to examine RJI delivery timing on recidivism outcomes with age and gender as moderators. A final sample of 1,316 individuals (49.8% female) incarcerated in several United States prisons received an RJI between 2001 and 2017. RJI timing did not relate to binary recidivism. However, women recidivated less than men and older individual recidivated less than younger individuals. For the subsample of reoffenders (n = 283), RJIs delivered closer to release increased the amount of time before recidivism. Delivering RJIs closer to release from prison may allow for other community programs to intervene and reduce recidivism even further.

Early Trauma and Later Sexual Victimization in College Women: A Multiple Mediation Examination of Alexithymia, Impulsivity, and Alcohol Use.

Childhood abuse and sexual violence against women are prevalent in the United States. However, researchers have not fully explored the intersection among important predisposing factors that predict recent sexual violence experienced by women who are also survivors of childhood abuse. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among early childhood trauma, alexithymia, impulsivity, alcohol use severity, and sexual victimization in later life among female college students from the United States (n = 1,178). Participants were part of a larger cross-cultural study, conducted between 2012 to 2014, which examined sexual aggression and victimization in the context of alcohol use. The current study aimed to examine if: (a) early trauma, impulsivity, alexithymia, and alcohol use severity impact sexual victimization in later life, and (b) if impulsivity, alexithymia, and alcohol use severity mediate the relationship between early trauma and victimization in later life. It was hypothesized that impulsivity, alexithymia, and alcohol use severity would significantly mediate the relationship between early trauma and sexual victimization in later life. Using a multiple mediation path analysis, results indicated that early childhood trauma was significantly linked with impulsivity, alcohol use severity, and sexual victimization in later life. A partial mediation through impulsivity and alcohol use severity was observed. Alexithymia did not produce mediation effects. These findings align with previous research examining how early childhood trauma influences the occurrence of sexual victimization in later life and provides further recommendations for helping professionals as they attempt to stifle the sexual victimization rates among female college students.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Role of Sexual Objectification in the Relationship Between Alcohol Use and Sexual Assault Perpetration.

In this study, we examined how sexual objectification can help explicate the relationship between alcohol use and sexual assault perpetration. Specifically, we examined a mediation and a moderation model. Moreover, given that gender roles and sexual norms vary across cultures, we also examined the structural invariance of the models between a U.S. male (n = 404) and Philippines male (n = 100) college sample. Path analyses were used to examine the mediation and the moderation model, and multiple groups analysis was utilized to examine model differences between samples. Sexual objectification fully mediated the relationship between alcohol use severity and sexual aggression. Furthermore, the mediation model was invariant between the U.S. sample and Philippines sample. A significant alcohol use severity by sexual objectification interaction effect was found for both samples. Simple slopes analysis indicated that alcohol use severity was not associated with sexual aggression among those with high sexual objectification scores. Among men with low sexual objectification scores, alcohol use severity was associated with higher likelihood toward sexual assault. For the Filipino sample, the impact of alcohol consumption on sexual aggression is more pronounced compared with the U.S. sample. Sexual objectification is a key variable in understanding the alcohol use-sexual aggression relationship. Country differences in alcohol use, cultural meanings of Filipino masculinity, and sexual norms and behaviors accounts for noninvariance in the moderation model. Implications for sexual assault reduction programs were also discussed.

Alexithymia, Prior Trauma, Alcohol Use, and Sexual Aggression Perpetration: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of a Moderated Mediation Model.

In this study, we examined the relationships between prior trauma, alexithymia, and sexual aggression perpetration among 610 U.S. college students and 107 college students from the Philippines utilizing a cross-sectional retrospective design. We tested a moderated mediation model with alexithymia as the mediator between prior trauma and sexual aggression perpetration, and alcohol use as a moderator of the alexithymia-sexual aggression link. Moreover, given that cultural norms may influence these relationships, we also examined the structural invariance of the proposed moderated mediation model. Path analyses and multiple group analysis were used to examine the moderated mediation model, and examine model differences between samples. We did not find evidence for alexithymia as a mediator, but there was a significant interaction between alcohol use severity and alexithymia on sexual aggression perpetration across both samples. Alexithymia is a key variable in understanding the alcohol use-sexual aggression perpetration relationship. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed.

Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20: Examining 18 Competing Factor Structure Solutions in a U.S. Sample and a Philippines Sample.

The Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 is arguably the most utilized measure of alexithymia. Although a three-factor solution has been found by numerous studies, these findings are not universal. This article examined and compared 18 competing factor structures for the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, which included between one and four correlated latent factor structures, common methods models that accounts for negatively worded items, and bifactor models. Although the two-factor bifactor model with a common methods factor had the better model fit compared with the other 17 models examined, it still did not achieve the requisites of a good model fit across all model fit indices. Issues stemmed primarily from the externally oriented thinking factor and the negatively worded items. Post hoc analyses indicated that a two-factor bifactor model with the negatively worded items dropped achieved the requisites of a good model fit and can be treated as a unidimensional measure despite the presence of multidimensionality. Multiple-group analysis indicated that the factor loadings were invariant across U.S. and Philippines samples. After controlling for noninvariance at the item intercept level, the Philippines sample had a higher alexithymia general score compared with the U.S. sample.

The Desire to Dissociate Scale: factor analysis, cross-cultural findings, and links to substance-induced dissociation.

BACKGROUND: Past research identified that a desire for dissociative experiences, rather than dissociative tendencies, mediate the relationship between early sexual abuse and problem drinking in college students. Desire to dissociate was conceptualized as a mechanism facilitating substance-induced dissociation or the use of substances to achieve dissociative-like experiences and was measured using a modified version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II. The validity and cross-cultural generalizability of the modified scale are not yet known. OBJECTIVES: The current study examined the psychometric properties of the modified scale, exploring findings across U.S. and Filipino college samples, and explored how the desire to dissociate construct related to other variables linked to substance-induced dissociation. Methods: Participants were recruited across two U.S. samples and one Filipino sample (N = 2404; 72% female). Instead of asking "how often do you experience" dissociative items, 14-items from the original scale were selected and individuals were asked "how often would you like to experience" items. RESULTS: Results supported the validity of the Desire to Dissociate Scale (DDS) with a bifactor model best fitting the data in U.S. and Filipino samples. The bifactor model identified that the DDS primarily measured a general 'desire to dissociate' factor and two specific factors comprised smaller portions of the variance. DDS scores were positively correlated with trauma-related and alcohol use variables including drinking to cope, variables conceptually consistent with theories of substance-induced dissociation. CONCLUSION: Clinical implications address avoidant coping patterns and differences in specific factor findings between U.S. and Filipino samples.

A comparison between telehealth and face-to-face delivery of a brief alcohol intervention for college students.

BACKGROUND: Problematic alcohol use is a common occurrence among college students. While empirically supported interventions exist, their access is typically limited to those with greater resources. There has been an expansion of services provided via telehealth to increase client access to treatment in the health care field. However, the evidence is mixed regarding the effectiveness of face-to-face versus telehealth interventions and there is a gap in the literature regarding brief alcohol interventions delivered via telehealth. As such, the purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a well-validated brief alcohol screening and intervention for college students (BASICS) when conducted face-to-face or through a videoconferencing system. Method: Participants included 51 college students who engaged in heavy episodic drinking (5+ drinks for males and 4+ drinks for females over a two hour period) over the last two weeks. They were randomly assigned to receive the face-to-face or telehealth intervention and completed a variety of questionnaires throughout. Follow up data on the participant's alcohol use and alcohol-related problems was collected at 1-, 2-, and 3-months. Multilevel modeling in SAS was utilized for analyses, which included the modeling of treatment outcome trajectories and the influence of predictors on the trajectory of change for each outcome. Results: Results indicated that the intervention significantly reduced alcohol consumption and related problems regardless of condition. Both conditions saw an increase in treatment satisfaction and therapeutic alliance between the two sessions. Increased therapeutic alliance resulted in greater decreases in alcohol use and related harm across both conditions. Additionally, those with a mental health diagnosis showed greater improvement related to risk reduction for both treatment modalities. Conclusion: In sum, the results of this study suggest that telehealth services should be further implemented and the BASICS intervention can be effectively delivered via telehealth for college students.

Long-Term Effectiveness of a Brief Restorative Justice Intervention.

This research investigated the effectiveness of a brief Restorative Justice Intervention. Probationers who attended a Restorative Justice Intervention ( n = 383) were compared with probationers receiving treatment as usual ( n = 130) over a 2- to 6-year follow-up period. The proportion of individuals who recidivated in the control condition ( n = 89, 68.46%) were higher compared with those who recidivated in the intervention condition ( n = 127, 33.16%; z = 7.04, p < .001). In addition, among those who recidivated, those in the intervention condition did so less frequently. Qualitative analyses from a postintervention course evaluation given only to the intervention condition showed that 50% of probationers acknowledged an empathic understanding associated with participation. This brief intervention has a positive multilevel impact on restorative justice. Implications of these effects are discussed.

Problem drinking among at-risk college students: The examination of Greek involvement, freshman status, and history of mental health problems.

OBJECTIVE: Scarce research has examined the combined effect of mental health difficulties and demographic risk factors such as freshman status and Greek affiliation in understanding college problem drinking. The current study is interested in looking at the interaction among freshman status, Greek affiliation, and mental health difficulties. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Undergraduate students (N = 413) from a private and public Midwestern university completed a large online survey battery between January 2009 and April 2013. Data from both schools were aggregated for the analyses. RESULTS: After accounting for gender, age, and school type, the three-way interaction indicated that the highest drinking levels were reported in freshman students who reported a history of mental health problems although were not involved in Greek life. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are discussed in the context of perceived social norms, as well as alcohol-related screenings and intervention opportunities on college campuses.

Measuring individual differences in responses to date-rape vignettes using latent variable models.

Vignette methodology can be a flexible and powerful way to examine individual differences in response to dangerous real-life scenarios. However, most studies underutilize the usefulness of such methodology by analyzing only one outcome, which limits the ability to track event-related changes (e.g., vacillation in risk perception). The current study was designed to illustrate the dynamic influence of risk perception on exit point from a date-rape vignette. Our primary goal was to provide an illustrative example of how to use latent variable models for vignette methodology, including latent growth curve modeling with piecewise slopes, as well as latent variable measurement models. Through the combination of a step-by-step exposition in this text and corresponding model syntax available electronically, we detail an alternative statistical "blueprint" to enhance future violence research efforts using vignette methodology. Aggr. Behav. 43:60-73, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Latina and Non-Latina Mothers' Perceived Health Barriers and Benefits and Their Relationship to Children's Health Behaviors.

Objectives Disparities exist in rates of overweight/obesity between Latino and non-Latino populations. Attention should be given to risk factors that may be modifiable through interventions involving both the parent and child. The current study sought to identify ethnic differences in parental health beliefs and their relation to children's health behaviors. Methods Latina and non-Latina mothers (N = 203) at rural and urban clinics and health departments completed self-report questionnaires. Key information included beliefs about barriers and benefits to health practices and children's health behaviors. Results Children of Latina mothers consumed significantly more soda and fried foods and exercised less than children of non-Latina mothers. Latina mothers were significantly more likely to perceive barriers to healthy eating and significantly less likely to perceive benefits to healthy eating and physical activity than non-Latina mothers. Ethnicity mediated the relationship between maternal views of health benefits and soda consumption. Conclusions Policy changes are needed to promote health education and increase the accessibility of healthy foods and safe places to exercise for Latino families.

Alcohol Expectancies, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Alcohol Use in College Students With a History of Childhood Trauma.

OBJECTIVE: Prior research has emphasized that the key mediator in the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom-alcohol use relationship is the expectancy of alcohol's tension-reducing properties. This study extends the literature by examining various alcohol outcome expectancies. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were obtained from 198 college students who reported experiencing at least one traumatic event in childhood. Participants answered surveys measuring PTSD symptoms, alcohol outcome expectancies, and three measures of alcohol consumption and related problems. RESULTS: Participants included 131 males (mean age = 19.65 years, SD = 1.06, range = 18 to 24) and 67 females (mean age = 19.43 years, SD = 0.82, range = 18 to 23), who were predominantly European-American (82%). For males and females, results of the multivariate analyses suggested that self-perception expectancies mediated the effects of PTSD symptoms on alcohol use severity, whereas sociability expectancies mediated the effects of PTSD symptoms on monthly alcohol use. For women, risk and aggression and sexuality expectancies mediated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use severity, while risk and aggression expectancies mediated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use consequences. For men, sociability expectancies mediated the effects of PTSD symptoms on alcohol use severity. Across genders, tension-reduction expectancies did not mediate the relationship between PTSD symptom and the three alcohol measures. CONCLUSIONS: This study was unable to find support for the self-medication hypothesis via the tension-reduction outcome expectancy pathway. However, other significant findings can be interpreted in light of the self-medication hypothesis. For example, alcohol may aid in coping with social impairments related to PTSD symptoms, particularly in a college sample. This study also highlighted gender differences in the association between PTSD symptoms and alcohol consumption and related problems.

Proposed pathways to problematic drinking via post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and dissociative tendencies following child/adolescent sexual abuse.

The relationship between early sexual abuse and college problem drinking was examined using an integration of the self-medication and vulnerability-stress models. Baseline survey data from parti-cipants (N = 213; 135 men and 78 college women) completing a mandated, brief alcohol intervention were utilized. Representative of the self-medication model, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms mediated the early sexual abuse/problem drinking relationship. Two psychological vulnerability factors-emotion dysregulation and dissociative tendencies-were incorporated into self-medication findings via more advanced mediational models. Results highlighted that problem drinking increased as dissociative tendencies increased, and relations between the vulnerability factors and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were in an unexpected direction.

Factor structure and invariance test of the alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT): Comparison and further validation in a U.S. and Philippines college student sample.

The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test's factor structure varies depending on population and culture. Because of this inconsistency, this article examined the factor structure of the test and conducted a factorial invariance test between a U.S. and a Philippines college sample. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a three-factor solution outperforms the one- and two-factor solution in both samples. Factorial invariance analyses further supports the confirmatory findings by showing that factor loadings were generally invariant across groups; however, item intercepts show non-invariance. Country differences between factors show that Filipino consumption factor mean scores were significantly lower than their U.S. counterparts.

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and aggressive behavior among incarcerated methamphetamine users.

OBJECTIVE: Methamphetamine use remains a prevalent problem in the United States and is linked to numerous deleterious outcomes, including aggressive behavior, criminal activity, and incarceration. Given these associations, a greater understanding of factors that contribute to aggression among users of methamphetamine is needed, particularly within criminal justice settings, where users of this drug are overrepresented. METHODS: The present study examined the relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and emotion dysregulation and in-prison physical aggression among incarcerated males who identified as methamphetamine users (N = 60). RESULTS: Participants' average age was 34.4 years (SD = 7.9), and they were predominantly European American (n = 48, 80%), had spent an average of 6.53 years incarcerated (SD = 4.64), and perpetrated about 1.54 acts of aggression (SD = 6.74) during the past three months. Bivariate correlations found that greater PTSD symptoms (p < .001), greater impulse control difficulties (p < .001), and limited access to emotion regulation strategies (p < .05) were associated with aggression perpetrated in prison. However, results from multiple regression analyses indicated that only PTSD symptoms (p <.001) and nonacceptance of emotional responses (p < .03) were predictive of aggression. Regression analyses also suggested that impulse control difficulties (p < .001), limited access to emotion regulation strategies (p < .04), and nonacceptance of emotional responses (p < .001) interacted with PTSD symptoms to predict increased aggressive behavior. The first interaction ran counter to study hypotheses: At greater levels of PTSD symptoms, those with greater acceptance of emotional responses reported greater aggression perpetration than those with lesser acceptance of emotional responses. The other two interactions were in line with hypotheses, showing that at greater levels of PTSD symptoms, those with greater impulse control difficulties (or lesser access to emotion regulation strategies) reported more aggressive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with theories of aggression, study findings suggest that PTSD symptoms bolster the risk of aggression via various forms emotion dysregulation. Results shed light on potential mechanisms that promote in-prison aggression and violent recidivism among this population.