Did you know you could be more at risk for heavy drinking in your first year of college before you even get to campus? Some students may come to college predisposed to heavy drinking, according to a review by Brian Borsari, James Murphy, and Nancy Barnett. These researchers identified factors that might increase a student’s alcohol use.
Students who have a strained relationship with their parents when they enter college are likely to drink more in their first year. This is especially true for male students with a poor father-son relationship. Students are likely to experience more negative consequences from drinking if their parents are approving of their alcohol use.
Mother knows best…
If a student’s mother in more approving of their drinking, they are likely to experience even more negative consequences. Young adults might be more concerned about pleasing their mothers. Students might not be so wary about their drinking if their mothers view it with a lenient attitude.
Prior to starting college, if students were more open with their parents and told them where they were going and who they were going with, this was a sign of greater parental monitoring. Parental monitoring, or a more open relationship with parents, has been shown to reduce alcohol use in students first year. Students with a better quality relationship with parents seem to make safer choices when it comes to drinking.
Some students might choose social networks or a pattern of drinking that increases their risk of negative consequences during their college years. The more a student participated in drinking games, the more alcohol the student drank. This may seem like an obvious finding to you, but many students like playing games because it is a fast way to get drunk. Their assumption is correct, but they might not be aware of just how much they are drinking.
While involvement in the Greek system can help students make new friends and give them a sense of belonging, it has also been linked to heavy drinking among first-year students. This is especially true for male students. Although heavier drinkers might be more likely to get involved in the Greek system, the Greek environment will encourage them to drink even more.
Did you know that students often overestimate the amount their friends are drinking? This overestimation can cause students to drink more if they feel pressure to match what they think their friend is drinking. The stress faced by first year students also causes them to use drinking as a coping mechanism. There are healthier ways to deal with this stress, such as exercise, getting involved in an intramural sport, or in any one of the hundreds of organizations offered at Penn State. Students can check out the recreation webpage to see different options on campus or the list of student organizations.