The male role, alcohol use, and alcohol problems: A structural modeling examination in adult women and men.

Most research on sex differences in alcohol involvement suggests that drinking is a component of the male gender role, but the impact of specific male role factors on alcohol involvement has not yet been studied. The authors used structural modeling to examine the relationships among 3 male role variables (agency, traditional male role attitudes, and masculine gender role stress), alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related problems in a sample of women and men. To determine whether sex moderates this relationship, models were computed separately for men and women. For men, traditional attitudes led to more alcohol consumption, whereas agentic traits protected them from experiencing alcohol-related problems, and experiencing masculine gender role stress was a risk factor for these problems. Male role variables were unrelated to women's alcohol consumption, but women who believed more in the traditional role of men suffered from more alcohol-related problems. Discussion centers on the contribution of components of the male role on alcohol outcomes as well as the different implications for men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol Consumption and Intimate Partner Violence by Alcoholic Men: Comparing Violent and Nonviolent Conflicts.

Alcoholic men and their relationship partners were interviewed about a conflict in which physical assault occurred and 1 in which psychological aggression occurred without physical assault. The interview assessed the quantity of alcohol consumed prior to each conflict, other drug use, and the topics, location, timing, duration, and speed of escalation for each conflict. The number of standard drinks consumed by the husband in the previous 12 hr was significantly higher prior to violent versus nonviolent conflicts for both self- and collateral reports, as was blood alcohol concentration estimated from self-report. Other drug use was not significantly different. Greater drinking by wives prior to violent conflicts was found in some analyses. These within-subject comparisons help to rule out individual difference explanations for the alcohol-violence association and indicate that alcohol consumption is a proximal risk factor for partner violence in alcoholic men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Husband alcohol expectancies, drinking, and marital-conflict styles as predictors of severe marital violence among newlywed couples.

The prospective effects of husband drinking, husband alcohol expectancies, and couple's marital-conflict style on husband alcohol-related aggression and severe violence in the 1st year of marriage were examined. Drinking predicted alcohol-related aggression, but husband's expectancy that alcohol causes aggression did not. Alcohol expectancies did predict severe violence in the marriage; however, the husband's belief that alcohol causes aggression was negatively related to the amount of severe violence. Alcohol expectancies interacted with marital conflict such that high amounts of severe violence were associated with men in high conflict marriages who did not have the expectancy that alcohol causes aggression. Additionally, in high conflict marriages, husband drinking was related to the amount of severe violence. Results are discussed in terms of alcohol-expectancy measures tapping general constructs of tolerance and attitudes toward antinormative behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of parent–child relationships and masculine role conflicts of college men.

This study explored relations between young men's masculine role conflicts and perceptions of relationships with their parents. Data on gender role conflict, masculine role stress, parental attachment, and conflict with parents were collected from 195 undergraduate men at 2 state universities. Consistent with contemporary theoretical literature, results of a canonical correlation analysis suggested that, in general, men's perceptions of more secure, positive, and conflict-free relationships with both fathers and mothers were related to a lesser degree of masculine role conflicts and stresses. Conversely, in 1 variate pair, perceptions of more secure, positive, and conflict-free relationships with parents, especially with mothers, were linked to more masculine role concern regarding success and performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of drink price and next-day responsibilities on college student drinking: A behavioral economic analysis.

More than [3/4] of U.S. college students report a heavy drinking episode (HDE; 5 (for men) and 4 (for women) drinks during an occasion) in the previous 90 days. This pattern of drinking is associated with various risks and social problems for both the heavy drinkers and the larger college community. According to behavioral economics, college student drinking is a contextually bound phenomenon that is impacted by contingencies such as price and competing alternative reinforcers, including next-day responsibilities such as college classes. This study systematically examines the role of these variables by using hypothetical alcohol purchase tasks to analyze alcohol consumption and expenditures among college students who reported recent heavy drinking (N = 207, 53.1% women). The impact of gender and the personality risk factor sensation seeking (SS) were also assessed. Students were asked how many drinks they would purchase and consume across 17 drink prices and 3 next-day responsibility scenarios. Mean levels of hypothetical consumption were highly sensitive to both drink price and next-day responsibility, with the lowest drinking levels associated with high drink prices and a next-day test. Men and participants with greater levels of SS reported more demand overall (greater consumption and expenditures) than women and students with low SS personality. Contrary to our hypotheses women appeared to be less sensitive to increases in price than men. The results suggest that increasing drink prices and morning academic requirements may be useful in preventing heavy drinking among college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors associated with marital aggression in male alcoholics.

Male alcoholics who were physically aggressive toward their wives in the year before alcoholism treatment (n?=?71) were compared with nonaggressive counterparts (n?=?36). Two key patterns were associated with marital aggression: (a) binge drinking linked with coercive marital conflicts and (b) markers of a severe early onset alcoholism syndrome. Maritally aggressive men were younger and exhibited more binge drinking, higher prevalence of arrest, more verbal aggression, greater alcohol problem severity, earlier alcohol problem onset, more alcoholism among male biological relatives, less maternal alcohol use, less confidence in their ability to manage interpersonal conflict without drinking, and stronger beliefs that alcohol causes marital problems. Marital adjustment levels were not associated with marital aggression, and very few differences were found between moderate and severe violence groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Young people, alcohol, and designer drinks: quantitative and qualitative study

OBJECTIVE: To examine the appeal of "designer drinks" to young people. DESIGN: Qualitative and quantitative research comprising group discussions and questionnaire led interviews with young people accompanied by a self completion questionnaire. SETTINGS: Argyll and Clyde Health Board area, west Scotland. SUBJECTS: Eight groups aged 12-17 years; 824 aged 12-17 recruited by multistage cluster probability sample from the community health index. RESULTS: Young people were familiar with designer drinks, especially MD 20/20 and leading brands of strong white cider. Attitudes towards these drinks varied quite distinctly with age, clearly reflecting their attitudes towards and motivations for drinking in general. The brand imagery of designer drinks-in contrast with that of more mainstream drinks-matched many 14 and 15 year olds' perceptions and expectations of drinking. Popularity of designer drinks peaked between the ages of 13 and 16 while more conventional drinks showed a consistent increase in popularity with age. Consumption of designer drinks tended to be in less controlled circumstances and was associated with heavier alcohol intake and greater drunkenness. CONCLUSIONS: Designer drinks are a cause for concern. They appeal to young people, often more so than conventional drinks, and are particularly attractive to 14-16 year olds. Consumption of designer drinks is also associated with drinking in less controlled environments, heavier drinking, and greater drunkenness. There is a need for policy debate to assess the desirability of these drinks and the extent to which further controls on their marketing are required.     

College student employment and drinking: A daily study of work stressors, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol consumption.

We examined the within-person relationships between daily work stressors and alcohol consumption over 14 consecutive days in a sample of 106 employed college students. Using a tension reduction theoretical framework, we predicted that exposure to work stressors would increase alcohol consumption by employed college students, particularly for men and those with stronger daily expectancies about the tension reducing properties of alcohol. After controlling for day of the week, we found that hours worked were positively related to number of drinks consumed. Workload was unrelated to alcohol consumption, and work-school conflict was negatively related to consumption, particularly when students expressed strong beliefs in the tension reducing properties of alcohol. There was no evidence that the effects of work stressors were moderated by sex. The results illustrate that employment during the academic year plays a significant role in college student drinking and suggest that the employment context may be an appropriate intervention site to address the problem of student drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measured alcohol content in college party mixed drinks.

The main objective of this study was to measure the alcohol content in college party drinks. Samples of mixed drinks were collected from on-campus parties (N = 23) over a 12-week period at a university in the Northeast. Samples were analyzed by using a method that measures oxygen utilization during ethanol oxidation. Standard drink equivalents were calculated and blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) for men and women were estimated. The percent alcohol in sampled drinks ranged from 3.7% to 22.8%. Characteristics of the sampled parties were not related to drink concentration. A party drink at the median concentration and drink size contained 0.97 standard drinks. Estimated BACs varied widely depending on drink alcohol concentration, but in most cases a heavy drinking episode for both men and women resulted in an estimated BAC at or above .08. Mixed drinks at the sampled parties on average approximated one standard drink, but the variability in mixed drink strength compromises a drinker's ability to keep track of the number of drinks consumed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluations of alcohol expectancies: Do they add to prediction of drinking patterns?

288 adults and 265 university students responded to a questionnaire concerning beliefs about the effects of alcohol, which included a measure of evaluation of alcohol effects. Analyses were performed with measures of frequency of drinking episodes, usual quantity consumed/episode, frequency of intoxication and consumption of 8 or more drinks at one sitting, and estimated number of drinks per year. Evaluation of the undesirable consequences of drinking added significantly to the prediction of quantity-based drinking variables. It is suggested that perceived desirability of alcohol effects is an important factor in understanding the relationship of expectancies to drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining Masculinity Norms, Problem Drinking, and Athletic Involvement as Predictors of Sexual Aggression in College Men.

Male sexual aggression toward women is a serious social problem, particularly on college campuses. In this study, college men's sexually aggressive behavior and rape myth acceptance were examined using conformity to 11 masculine norms and 2 variables previously linked to sexual aggression: problem drinking and athletic involvement. Results indicated that men who use alcohol problematically and conform to specific masculine norms (i.e., having power over women, being a playboy, disdaining gay men, being dominant, being violent, and taking risks) tended to endorse rape myths and report sexually aggressive behavior. Additionally, men who reported higher levels of problematic alcohol use and risk taking were more likely to report sexually aggressive behavior without endorsing rape myths. Implications and recommendations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

21st birthday drinking: Extremely extreme.

Despite public recognition of the hazards of 21st birthday drinking, there is little empirical information concerning its prevalence, severity, and risk factors. Data from a sample of 2,518 college students suggest that 21st birthday drinking poses an extreme danger: (a) 4 of every 5 participants (83%) reported drinking to celebrate, (b) birthday drinkers indicated high levels of consumption, (c) 12% of birthday drinkers (men and women) reported consuming 21 drinks, and (d) about half of birthday drinkers exceeded their prior maximum number of drinks. Current problematic alcohol involvement and its typical correlates strongly predicted both the occurrence and severity of 21st birthday drinking. It is imperative that investigators consider a variety of potential interventions to minimize the harm associated with this rite of passage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol use among college students as a function of their typical social drinking context.

This study investigated the relations among frequency of drinking in different social contexts; alcohol consumption, expectancies, and problems; and psychosocial characteristics among college students. Social drinking contexts were defined by the size and gender composition of social groups. Participants were 98 men and 98 women who endorsed current alcohol use. The results showed that typical social drinking contexts were associated with men's average daily number of drinks and frequency of drunkenness but were not associated with women's alcohol consumption. Controlling for alcohol expectancies and personality factors did not obscure significant social context effects for men's alcohol consumption or problems, supporting the importance of considering social context variables in studies of drinking. Future research with regard to alcohol education, intervention, and prevention strategies is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analytic psychology and gender role conflict: The development of the fragile masculine self.

There is a need to undertake a comprehensive approach to understanding gender specific challenges and solutions. This includes understanding the gender role related conflicts men experience. It also includes a reexamination of some of the long-held beliefs regarding men and masculinity including a gender identity socialized to conceptualize a sense of self that emphasizes independence to the exclusion of relational strivings. There is also the emphasis in male socialization to avoid the "feminine" in hopes that this will enhance the masculine identity. It is argued here that for many men, following this course of gender socialization has led to the development of a fragile masculine self. The fragile masculine self is conceptualized from an analytic psychology perspective, integrating aspects of intrapsychic development with psychosocial aspects of O'Neil's gender role conflict paradigm. Combining aspects of the intrapsychic with that of psychosocial forces leads to the development of a new model for conceptualizing and working with men in individual and group therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol consumption and major depression in the Canadian population

OBJECTIVE: Various clinical studies have documented associations between alcohol consumption and depressive disorders. In some circumstances, alcohol ingestion may cause or worsen depression, whereas in other circumstances the direction of causal effect may be reversed. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between alcohol consumption and major depression in the Canadian population. METHOD: Data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS) were analyzed. This survey, conducted by Statistics Canada in 1994, used a probability sample of 17,626 subjects. The NPHS included measures of alcohol ingestion and a diagnostic screen for major depression (Composite International Diagnostic Interview [CIDI] Short Form). RESULTS: Subjects reporting any drinking in the year preceding the interview were more likely to have experienced an episode of major depression during that time than subjects reporting no drinking. Subjects reporting maximal ingestions of 5 or more drinks (and especially 10 or more drinks) on at least 1 occasion during the preceding year were also at greater risk of major depression than nondrinking subjects or subjects reporting smaller maximal ingestions. Neither the average amount consumed daily nor the frequency of drinking was associated with major depression. CONCLUSIONS: In the general population, there is no simple relationship between the quantity or frequency of alcohol consumption and the prevalence of major depression. Any drinking and maximal consumption on 1 occasion, however, are related to the prevalence of major depression. Further research is needed to delineate causal mechanisms so that clinical and public-health interventions can be formulated.     

Frequency and correlates of diary-measured hangoverlike experiences in a college sample.

A sample of college students, oversampled for smoking (N = 127, 43% smokers), monitored their daily experiences using electronic diaries over 14 days. We examined the frequency and correlates of liberally defined hangoverlike experiences (HLEs) using data from 1,595 person-days (1,325 after abstention from drinking and 270 after drinking, including 125 HLEs). More than 40% of the sample reported at least one HLE, and nearly half of all drinking episodes were followed by HLE. Endorsement of HLE was more likely as the number of drinks increased and was associated with modest elevations of hangover symptoms. Gender did not predict rates of overall HLE endorsement, but male students were less likely than female students to report an HLE after a drinking episode and showed a weaker relation between number of drinks and HLE. Smokers were more likely to report HLE, but there was no evidence that smoking status was associated with increased HLE susceptibility. Self-reported parental alcohol problems were associated with more frequent HLE and incrementally predicted HLE endorsement when number of drinks was covaried. The findings suggest that HLE is a common outcome of college drinking and attest to the feasibility of using electronic diaries to assess its episode- and person-level correlates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of drinking intensity and frequency on serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma-glutamyl transferase levels in outpatient alcoholics

Whereas heavy alcohol consumption is known to elevate serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels, the contribution of drinking pattern to these effects is not completely understood. We present data on 423 men and 146 women evaluated 1 year after treatment in a large-scale alcoholism treatment study (Project MATCH). Relationships between drinking frequency (number of days drinking), intensity (drinks per drinking day), and blood levels of CDT and GGT were analyzed by using response surface regression models and thin-plate spline-smoothing techniques. Both models indicated differences between CDT- and GGT-drinking pattern relationships in men and, also, a difference between men and women in CDT drinking-pattern relationships. For men, CDT levels appeared to respond primarily to frequency of drinking, whereas GGT was influenced primarily by drinking intensity. For women, both CDT and GGT were influenced more by drinks per drinking day (intensity) than by number of days drinking (frequency). The data confirm both the independent nature of these biological markers of alcohol consumption and gender differences in alcohol-induced CDT response reported previously.     

Self-organization of alcohol-related attitudes and beliefs in a campus housing complex: An initial investigation.

The self-organization of college students' alcohol-related attitudes and their beliefs about other students' attitudes were assessed within a campus housing complex. Pluralistic ignorance was widespread, in that compared with their own self-ratings, students rated their friends and the "typical" student as being more in favor of alcohol and more lax in the number of drinks per hour that were acceptable and the number of drinks that were acceptable before driving. They also perceived typical students as more risky than their friends. Dynamic social impact theory was also supported, as students' dormitory building and floor of residence reliably predicted both their personal drinking attitudes and their beliefs about the drinking attitudes of other students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beer binging and mortality: results from the Kuopio ischaemic heart disease risk factor study, a prospective population based study

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between beer binging (regular sessions of heavy beer drinking) and mortality. DESIGN: Prospective population based study with the baseline assessment of level of alcohol intake (dose), by type of drink and drinking pattern, previous and existing diseases, socioeconomic background, occupational status, involvement in organisations during leisure time, physical activity in leisure time, body mass index, blood pressure, serum lipids and plasma fibrinogen concentration, during an average of 7.7 years' follow up of mortality. SETTING: Finland. SUBJECTS: A population sample of 1641 men who consumed beer who were aged 42, 48, 54, or 60 years at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, death due to external causes, fatal myocardial infarctions. RESULTS: The risk of death was substantially increased in men whose usual dose of beer was 6 or more bottles per session compared with men who usually consumed less than 3 bottles, after adjustment for age and total alcohol consumption (relative risk 3.01 (95% confidence interval 1.54 to 5.90) for all deaths; 7.10 (2.01 to 25.12) for external deaths; and 6.50 (2.05 to 20.61) for fatal myocardial infarction). The association changed only slightly when smoking, occupational status, previous diseases, systolic blood pressure, low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, plasma fibrinogen concentration, body mass index, marital status, leisure time physical activity, and involvement in organisations were controlled for. CONCLUSION: The pattern of beer binging is associated with increased risk of death, independently of the total average consumption of alcoholic drinks. The relation is not explained by known behavioural, psychosocial, or biological risk factors. Death due to injuries and other external causes is overrepresented among beer bingers, but a strong association with fatal myocardial infarction suggests that the pathway may also involve other acute triggers of severe health events.