Celebrating St. Patrick's Day: Students' Expectations, Intent, and Behavior
Abstract
College students engage in risky alcohol use within a variety of contexts, including specific celebratory events. Student intentions and peer perceptions predict alcohol use; however, how these factors affect specific celebratory drinking may vary from typical alcohol use. The current study sought to better understand event-specific drinking among college students during St. Patrick's Day, as compared to Spring Break. Undergraduate students (N = 82) at a campus with a unique traditional celebration of St. Patrick's Day were surveyed. At Time 1, participants were asked to indicate how much alcohol they intended to drink and how much alcohol they expected other students to drink during St. Patrick's Day and Spring Break. At Time 2, students reported on actual alcohol consumption during both events. Results indicated that participants reported greater intent to consume, expectation of peer consumption, and actual alcohol consumption during St. Patrick's Day as compared to Spring Break. Neither sensation seeking nor impulsivity predicted alcohol use during either event. Findings are discussed in the context of understanding, preventing, and intervening with event-specific drinking among college students.
Recommended Citation
Henslee, A. M., Irons, J. G., & Bonn-Miller, M. O. (2016). Celebrating St. Patrick's Day: Students' Expectations, Intent, and Behavior. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 48(2), pp. 146-151. Haight-Ashbury Publications.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2016.1151575
Department(s)
Psychological Science
Keywords and Phrases
Alcohol; Drinking; Spring Break, St. Patrick's Day; Student
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0279-1072
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2016 Haight-Ashbury Publications, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2016
