Criterion Validity of Protective Behavioral Strategies for Alcohol Consumption among College Students: Comparison across Two Measures.

BACKGROUND: Protective behavioral strategies (PBS), or behaviors used to reduce harm associated with alcohol use, are often associated with lower levels of alcohol consumption, lower engagement in high-risk drinking behaviors, and fewer alcohol-related consequences. Although the majority of studies have found significant associations between higher PBS use and lower consumption or consequences, some studies have found nonsignificant or even positive associations. One explanatory hypothesis is that the mixed findings are due to differential content in PBS measures. OBJECTIVES: The current study examined the criterion validity of two widely-used PBS measures, the PBSS and the SQ. In a multi-institution online study assessing alcohol outcomes, college drinkers were randomly assigned to complete one PBS measure. Both measures had the same response options to standardize assessment and focus on content. RESULTS: Findings suggest both measures of PBS are consistently predictive of alcohol outcomes among college drinkers, across multiple subpopulations (i.e., strength of association was not moderated by sex, race, or drinking level). CONCLUSIONS/IMPORTANCE: Some PBS subscales were more impactful than others, suggesting researchers may want to choose which PBS scale to use based on outcomes of interest, or after determining if alternatives to drinking is an important facet of PBS for the research questions being examined. Moreover, the differential findings for subscales suggest that prevention and intervention programs incorporating PBS should focus on strategies that avoid high-risk scenarios (e.g., avoiding shots or drinking games), rather than general strategies of self-pacing.

Event-Specific Drinking and Protective Behavioral Strategy Use among College Students.

BACKGROUND: Event-specific drinking occasions (e.g. holidays, special occasions, school breaks) have been associated with heavy drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences among college students. The current study extends prior research by examining understudied holidays and changes in protective behavioral strategy use during these event-specific drinking occasions. METHOD: Participants were 537 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 who retrospectively reported drinking in the past two weeks. Several alcohol use variables (e.g., frequency, quantity, heavy episodic drinking frequency), negative alcohol-related consequences, and protective behavioral strategies were assessed for the previous 14 days. Ten event-specific drinking occasions were coded for the 14-day reporting period. A series of Analysis of Covariance models were conducted to examine differences on alcohol use variables, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategies for weeks that included an event-specific drinking occasion relative to a no holiday reference timeframe. RESULTS: Compared to the no holiday reference group, several event-specific drinking occasions (e.g., Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day) were associated with greater alcohol use, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategy use. In contrast, other occasions were determined to be low-risk holidays (e.g., Veterans Day) when protective behavioral strategies were less frequently used. Some occasions (e.g., spring break) did not exhibit the expected clear pattern of risk. CONCLUSIONS: College students' alcohol use, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategy use vary across event-specific drinking occasions. Determining which event-specific drinking occasions are associated with risky alcohol use and the lowest use of harm reduction strategies is important for prevention and intervention programs.

Child physical abuse and self-perceived social isolation among adolescents.

This research examines the connection between physical abuse and social isolation. Using data from the National Youth Survey, a measure of self-perceived social isolation was constructed indicating the extent to which respondents feel detached from their friends and from school. Those who had experienced violence were predicted to be more isolated than those who had not. Results strongly supported the hypothesis, controlling for theoretically relevant variables. Explanation is provided in terms of damage to attachment skills, social competence, and self-esteem concomitant to being a victim of abuse. Males were more socially isolated than females, and Hispanics more than Whites. Children with involved parents were less socially isolated; those whose parents experienced normlessness were more isolated. Children who recently experienced a stressful event or were from riskier neighborhoods were more isolated. The number of children in the family was positively related to isolation. Social isolation decreases between seventh and eighth grades.