Student Perceptions About Campus Drinking Policies and Potential Impact on Alcohol Consumption

Abstract

Despite stringent drinking policies among various colleges and universities, inappropriate alcohol consumption continues to persist among college students (e.g., DeJong, Towvim, & Schneider, 2007; Lavigne, Witt, Wood, Laforge, & DeJong, 2008; Turner, Perkins, & Bauerle, 2008). This study was conducted with 210 college students. Their perceptions of the drinking policy were assessed using the 2001 Survey of College Alcohol Norms and Behavior (SCANB, National Institutes of Health, 2002). The researchers hypothesized that students' attitudes towards drinking and their support of their campus alcohol policy are predictors of students' level of alcohol consumption and their adherence to their campus alcohol policy. Results supported the hypothesis that students' attitudes towards drinking and their support of their campus alcohol policy were predictors of a student's adherence to policy. Without student support of their campus drinking policy and congruent attitudes of drinking among students and administration, students are more likely to violate campus alcohol policies.

High-risk drinking behaviors and the related consequences remain a serious problem at U.S. colleges and universities. Even though most colleges have policies set in place to curb the consumption of alcohol and lower the major risks associated with alcohol, college students continue to violate campus alcohol policies (e.g., Lavigne, Witt, Wood, Laforge, & DeJong, 2008; Turner, Perkins, & Bauerle, 2008). The decisions that young people make about alcohol use may be shaped by their values and beliefs. Therefore, college students’ adherence to their campus alcohol polices may likely correspond to students’ attitudes toward drinking and their support of their campus alcohol policies.

Adherence to campus alcohol policies can be measured by the frequency of students who engage in high-risk drinking behaviors. Knight, Wechsler, Meichun, Seibring, Weitzman, and Schuckit (2002) suggests that there are a high number of college students who are engaging in high-risk drinking behaviors. According to Knight et al., about 31% of college students meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria for abuse; whereas, 6% are classified as alcohol dependent. Hingson, Heeren, Winter, and Wechsler (2005) found that more than 1,700 college students aged 18-24 years who are enrolled in 2 and 4 year colleges and universities die annually from alcohol-related unintentional injuries. Nearly 80% of these deaths are due to motor vehicle accidents. These statistics demonstrate the consequence and prevalence of high-risk drinking behaviors which need to be addressed.

In order to decrease high-risk drinking behaviors, many colleges are enacting preventative policies and stricter enforcement of these drinking policies, and most students are supporting them. Ringwalt, Paschall, and Gitelman (2011) found that half of the 22 colleges that they assessed engaged in high intensity policy enforcement strategies. Research (e.g., DeJong, Towvim, & Schneider, 2007; Saltz, 2007; Wechsler, Eun Lee, Nelson, & Meichun, 2002) has found that a majority of students support these prevention policies and stricter enforcement strategies. DeJong, Towvim, and Schneider (2007) surveyed 32 colleges and universities about students' support of various policies and enforcement strategies. The majority at all 32 schools reported support for the use of stricter disciplinary sanctions for students who engage in alcohol-related violence and for those who repeatedly violate campus alcohol policy. Students are supporting more preventative policies and stricter enforcement of policies in order to decrease high-risk drinking behaviors.

Many colleges have maintained “dry” campuses preventative strategies where alcohol sales and consumption are banned as a means to prevent college alcohol abuse and alcohol-related consequences, but few researchers have studied the effects of these preventions. Wechsler, Lee, Gledhill-Hoyt, and Nelson's (2001) study is one of the few that examined the effect of banning alcohol on college campuses. He and his colleagues surveyed a nationally representative sample of students at 4-year colleges to test whether schools that ban alcohol have lower rates of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking. Wechsler et al. found that students who attend schools that banned alcohol were 30% less likely to engage in binge drinking and more likely to abstain from using alcohol than were students who attended schools where alcohol was not banned. But, Taylor, Johnson, and Voas (2006) found that the campus alcohol policies have a limited effect on the drinking patterns of college students because campus alcohol policies present only one point of intervention. Restricting alcohol consumption on campus has its limits in preventing alcohol abuse and alcohol-related problems.

A student's awareness of alcohol policies and attitudes toward drinking may affect an individual's adherence to their campus drinking policy. Marshall, Roberts, and Rutledge (2011) examined students’ knowledge and attitudes towards their campus drinking policies in relation to the students’ alcohol consumption and alcohol social norms. They surveyed 422 freshmen during their first month at a 4-year university. Findings showed that a student’s attitudes regarding campus alcohol policies were significantly correlated with a student’s consumption of alcohol. The majority of students (89%) had knowledge of campus policies and of those who were aware of these policies, less than half (44%) supported these policies. In addition, the majority (79%) violated their campus alcohol policies. However, those who indicated support of their campus alcohol policies consumed significantly less than those who indicated opposition to these policies. Wechsler, Lee, Nelson, and Meichun (2002) findings supported Marshall et al. that an underage college students' support of campus alcohol policies to prevent underage drinking corresponded to the student's drinking behavior.

Because of the limited data and contradictory findings, the present study sought to gather data related to college students’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of their campus alcohol policies. The aim of this study was to find whether students’ attitudes towards drinking and whether they supported their campus alcohol policies were related to their alcohol consumption and violation of their campus alcohol policies. The researchers hypothesized that students' attitude towards drinking and their support of their campus alcohol policy are predictors of students' level of alcohol consumption and their adherence to their campus alcohol policy.

Suggested Reading from Inquiries Journal

Ketamine, described by the chemical formula C13H16ClNO, is most commonly associated with adolescent and adult recreational drug users and ravers who abuse this drug to experience a euphoric and dissociative state. Although this drug is a federal schedule III controlled substance as a result of this abuse potential, ketamine has... MORE»
Advertisement
One area in which the division among Irish citizens remains apparent is in the realm of social housing. Housing represents the largest expense as well as the largest investment for most households: home ownership strongly continues to symbolize wealth of an individual in the eyes of society and provides a basis for social inclusion of all citizens. And when housing is unaffordable, not accessible... MORE»
The Obama presidency will largely be defined by the administration’s ability to respond to the unique and historic challenge facing the country at the time of his inauguration: the Great Recession. This paper evaluates the president’s success throughout both of his terms in enacting an economic policy, which was largely... MORE»
Third grade reading proficiency is believed to be an important benchmark in education. The transition from third grade to fourth grade marks the shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” other subject material. Third grade proficiency is also an indicator of a student’s later academic success... MORE»
Submit to Inquiries Journal, Get a Decision in 10-Days

Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines.

Representing the work of students from hundreds of institutions around the globe, Inquiries Journal's large database of academic articles is completely free. Learn more | Blog | Submit

Follow IJ

Latest in Health Science

2022, Vol. 14 No. 03
The use of synthetic opioids in the United States in the past 30 years has created an epidemic the likes of which our healthcare and law enforcement systems have never before encountered. Although some opioid analogs, like fentanyl, were developed... Read Article »
2021, Vol. 13 No. 10
Romanies are one of history’s most misunderstood ethnic populations. Since medieval times, they have faced slavery, forced assimilation, sterilization, genocide, and other forms of ethnic cleansing. Their cultural and historical persecution... Read Article »
2021, Vol. 13 No. 09
The calcium-binding protein apoaequorin has been studied for its possible indication to improve human cognition and memory. Faculty at Quincy Bioscience developed Prevagen with this in mind, claiming its apoaequorin-formulated supplement may decrease... Read Article »
2021, Vol. 13 No. 05
Areas of the world found to harbor the people with exceptional lifespans are known as a Longevity Blue Zone (LBZ). LBZ’s are areas around the world that have an unusual concentration of centenarians. This paper investigates the link between... Read Article »
2020, Vol. 12 No. 12
Although spirituality has been an essential part of healing for most of mankind, modern medicine is more likely to embrace a mechanistic view of the human body where illness is an engineering problem and the body is the sum of discrete parts, rather... Read Article »
2020, Vol. 12 No. 10
Ketamine, described by the chemical formula C13H16ClNO, is most commonly associated with adolescent and adult recreational drug users and ravers who abuse this drug to experience a euphoric and dissociative state. Although this drug is a federal... Read Article »
2020, Vol. 12 No. 10
The ketogenic diet, or keto diet for short, is a fad diet that has gained significant attention in recent years as a popular weight loss approach. The diet is characterized by a depletion of carbohydrates which in turn place the body in a state... Read Article »

What are you looking for?

FROM OUR BLOG

What is the Secret to Success?
How to Read for Grad School
5 Tips for Publishing Your First Academic Article