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This study examined the relationship of volume of alcohol consumed to the occurrence of alcohol-related problems among male and female college students to develop a gender-specific measure of heavy episodic or binge drinking by college students for public health research. A self-administered survey was mailed to a national representative sample of...
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Three-wave longitudinal study.
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Representative US sample of 6522 adolescents aged 10 to 14 years at baseline survey (4309 of whom were never-drinkers at 8 months...
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Citations
... In the United States, young adults (YA; 18-29 years) have the highest prevalence of past-year alcohol consumption (73.1%), compared to other age groups (Delker et al., 2016). Heavy episodic drinking (HED; 5+ drinks for males, 4+ drinks for females; Wechsler et al., 1995) is particularly common among U.S. YA; 30.5% reported a HED episode during the past 2 weeks (Patrick et al., 2023). Rates of high-intensity drinking (HID; consuming two times the heavy drinking level, i.e., 10+ drinks for males, 8+ drinks for females; Gowin et al., 2021) are also concerning; prevalence of past 2-week HID among YA is 9.5% (Patrick et al., 2023). ...
There is potential to use public posts on social networking sites (SNS) to screen for problematic alcohol use. This study investigated how frequency of public posting about alcohol on SNS relates to alcohol outcomes among young adults (YA) not attending 4-year college. We also explored associations for racial/ethnic and gender subgroups. Participants were 501 non-college-attending YA, aged 18–29, living in the United States. Participants were recruited via Qualtrics Panels and completed measures of demographics, SNS use (past-3-month frequency of public posting about alcohol on Instagram, TikTok, “X”), and alcohol-related outcomes: heavy episodic drinking frequency (HED), high-intensity drinking episodes (HID), U.S. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test total (USAUDIT), and alcohol consequences. Regression models tested hypothesized associations between frequency of public posting and alcohol outcomes. Subsequent models assessed simple effects by race/ethnicity (Hispanic, Black, White) and gender (man, woman). Controlling for covariates, more frequent public alcohol-posting was associated with higher USAUDIT, HED frequency, and HID likelihood, not consequences. For Hispanic YA, posting was positively associated with all outcomes except consequences. For Black YA, posting was positively associated with USAUDIT and HID, not HED or consequences. For White YA, posting was positively associated with USAUDIT and HED, not HID or consequences. For women, posting was positively associated with USAUDIT total, HID, and consequences. For men, posting was positively associated with USAUDIT and HED. In conclusion, more frequent public alcohol-posting on SNS was positively associated with past-year alcohol use and problems, implying potential to screen for hazardous drinking via public SNS posts, among non-college-attending YA.
... Furthermore, those who replied "other" without text were considered as missing. Participants were also asked about heavy episodic drinking (HED), defined as those who ever consumed five or more (for men) or four or more (for women) standard drinks of alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days [36]. Thus, participants were asked, "Have you ever consumed four/five or more standard drinks of alcohol on at least one occasion?", ...
Background
Violence is a major public health concern with a significant impact on the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Living in a new environment without parental control and experimenting with new lifestyles may increase the risk of violence among university students. Therefore, this study aimed to assess exposure to violence and its associated factors among university students in Ethiopia.
Method
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2988 university students from six randomly selected universities in Ethiopia. A two-stage stratified sampling method was used to recruit the study participants. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect information regarding exposure to emotional, physical, and sexual violence. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with violence exposure in the last 12 months.
Results
The prevalence of exposure to any type of violence in the last 12 months was 17.6% (n = 525) (17.9% among males, 16.5% among females). The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of violence was 2.9 times higher (95% CI 1.6-5.0) among students older than 25 years than those aged 18-20 years. Those students who were in a relationship had 1.4 times higher odds of violence (95% CI 1.0-2.0) than those who were not in a relationship. In addition, those students who were from rural residences before coming to the university had 1.4 times higher odds of violence (95% CI 1.1-1.8) than those from urban residences. The odds of violence among those who consumed alcohol once a week or more in the past month were 2.2 times higher (95% CI 1.3-3.6) than those who did not consume alcohol. Furthermore, the likelihood of violence was 1.6 times higher (95% CI 1.0-2.4) among those who chewed khat and 2 times higher (95% CI 1.3-3.1) among those who used other drugs in the last 12 months.
Conclusion
Exposure to violence is a challenge for both male and female university students in Ethiopia. Several socio-demographic and behavioral factors were significantly associated with exposure to violence. Therefore, it is crucial for universities and stakeholders to raise awareness about contributing factors to minimize violence, regardless of gender.
... The citation count varied between 0 and 1523. Table 5 presents the top ten publications on binge drinking, which together accumulated 8,070 citations, with individual citation counts ranging from 539 to 1523 [10,[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. ...
... A thematic analysis of highly cited publications [10,[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] on binge drinking revealed a concentration of research on subtopics closely related to established areas of inquiry. This finding further suggests a growing emphasis and scholarly interest in this field in recent years. ...
Background
Binge drinking constitutes a significant public health concern. Defined as the consumption of five or more alcoholic beverages on a single occasion, binge drinking leads to acute cognitive and motor impairments and is associated with a multitude of detrimental health consequences. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse globally published peer-reviewed literature on binge drinking.
Methods
A thorough search of the Scopus database was conducted to gather all the relevant research. Keywords related to binge drinking were used to locate a wide range of studies. Specific criteria were subsequently applied to narrow the results, ensuring the inclusion of only the most relevant articles. This process yielded a collection of 2,763 research papers. Finally, a software program called VOSviewer was utilized to analyse and visualize the connections between these studies.
Results
A bibliometric analysis was performed to investigate trends in binge drinking research literature published between 1980 and 2024. The findings revealed a significant increase in publications (R²=0.916; p < 0.001), with a peak in 2018 (191 articles). The majority (89.65%, n = 2,477) were research articles, followed by review articles (4.74%, n = 131). Authors from 139 countries contributed to binge-drinking research, with the USA (n = 1,550; 56.1%) and the UK (n = 216; 7.82%) leading in the volume of publications. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (n = 65; 2.35%) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (n = 63; 2.28%) emerged as the main institutional contributors. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the United States was the main funding source, supporting 599 articles (21.68%), followed by the National Institutes of Health in the United States, with 544 articles (19.69%). In particular, the post-2016 period witnessed a shift in research themes toward mechanistic investigations alongside studies on societal interventions, reflecting a growing focus on mitigating the broader social impact of binge drinking.
Conclusions
This study is the first comprehensive analysis of trends in binge drinking research. Over the past decade, binge drinking has increased dramatically, led by the United States, the UK, and Spain. Initially, focused on social and cultural factors, research shifted after 2016 to mechanistic and animal models, shaping future research directions and strategies.
... Interested participants emailed our research staff, who responded with a brief description of the study and a link to the screening survey which they completed prior to enrollment. Participants were eligible to participate if they were aged 21-29, engaged in HED (4+/5+ drinks in a row for females/males; Wechsler et al., 1995) at least weekly on average during the past year, and were sufficiently proficient in written English to complete study procedures. A standard drink was defined for participants as "a glass of wine, a bottle of beer, a wine cooler, or a shot glass of liquor on its own or mixed." ...
Objective: Transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) sensors provide a multidimensional characterization of drinking events that self-reports cannot. These profiles may differ in their associated day-level alcohol-related consequences, but no research has tested this. We address this using multilevel latent profile analysis. Method: Two hundred twenty-two young adults who regularly engage in heavy drinking (Mage = 22.3, 64% female, 79% non-Hispanic White) responded to surveys and wore TAC sensors for 6 consecutive days. We tested whether four previously identified TAC profiles: (1) high-fast (8.5% of days), (2) moderate-fast (12.8%), (3) low-slow (20.4%), and (4) little-to-no-drinking days (58.2%) differed in numbers of negative and positive consequences and in the odds that both consequence types occurred on the same day. Results: High-fast (incident rate ratio [IRRlow-slow] = 6.18; IRRlittle-to-no-drinking = 9.47) and moderate-fast (IRRlow-slow = 3.71; IRRlittle-to-no-drinking = 5.68) days contained more negative consequences compared to low-slow and little-to-no-drinking days. High-fast (IRR = 2.05), moderate-fast (IRR = 1.88), and low-slow (IRR = 1.43) days contained more positive consequences than little-to-no-drinking days. The odds of having only positive consequences were highest on low-slow, χ²(3) = 9.10, p < .05, days but the odds of experiencing both consequence types increased on moderate-fast and high-fast days, χ²(3) = 39.63, p < .001. Conclusions: Compared to little-to-no-drinking days, TAC profiles indicative of drinking (high-fast, moderate-fast, and low-slow) contained more negative and positive consequences. However, the odds of experiencing only positive consequences were highest among low-slow days and decreased on moderate-fast and high-fast days as the odds of negative consequences rose. These findings provide novel evidence reinforcing harm reduction approaches that seek to maximize positives and minimize negatives of alcohol consumption through emphasis on slow-paced, low-volume drinking.
... We used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a brief, reliable and validated measure, endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 13,14 to assess the severity of depression in participants with the following predetermined, validated cut-off scores: 0-4 for no/minimal 49 depression, 5-9 for mild depression, 10-14 for moderate depression, 15-19 for moderately severe depression, and 20-27 for severe depression. We grouped the students into three categories: no/minimal depression (0-4), mild depression (5-9), and moderate-to-severe depression (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). ...
... Binge drinking was defined as greater or equal to four drinks for women and five drinks for men. 16 Fortythree (24%) respondents endorsed binge drinking on more than or equal to three occasions in the prior month. ...
Background: Due to high rates of depression and suicidal ideation among medical students, interventions, such as Pass/Fail grading systems and peer-mentorship, have been implemented, but their effects not reported. The purpose of this study was to explore variations in depression severity among medical students and to better understand the related stigma in healthcare over the past decade, with the aim of enhancing medical education. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on REDCap across students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. The severity of depression was measured by the PHQ-9. Stigma was assessed utilizing Likert scale responses. Demographics of students who are most likely to experience depression were collected. Additionally, clinical diagnoses of depression, treatment modalities, and alcohol use were compared. Results: There were 178 respondents with a 15% response rate. Thirty-nine (22%) respondents were classified in the moderate-to-severe depression group. Thirteen students, all female, endorsed suicidal ideation. A majority of respondents reported that depressed medical students would provide inferior patient care (n=71, 58%), their application to residency would be less competitive (n=76, 54%), they would feel embarrassed (n=88, 61%), and that it would be risky to reveal they have depression on a residency application (n=153, 94%). Conclusions: Depression, suicidal ideation, and stigmatization remain prevalent in medical students and may have worsened since 2010. New, multi-faceted approaches such as giving medical students the choice of mental health providers, providing clear information about documentation, and implementing personal, well-being goals are needed to reduce depression and stigma experienced by medical students.
... Since females have lower tolerance for large amounts of alcohol, this is a limitation that future research could address (e.g. measure four or more drinks for females, five or more drinks for males; Wechsler et al., 1995). ...
Aims: The final year of high school is a challenging phase, during which substance use is common. We conducted longitudinal and cohort comparisons on the levels of alcohol and cannabis use among final year (Year 12) high school students compared to the previous year. Design: Longitudinal and cohort analyses of self-reported survey data. Setting: Ten independent schools across South-East Queensland, Australia. Participants: Year 12 students in 2020 (n = 1024) were compared (a) longitudinally with themselves in Year 11; and (b) to the 2019 Year 12 cohort (n = 632). Measures: Self-reported alcohol and cannabis use. Analyses adjusted for socio-demographic, parental, and schooling variables. Findings: Longitudinally, Year 12 students of 2020 had higher odds of having six or more drinks per occasion, monthly or more often, and reporting lifetime cannabis use, compared to themselves in 2019. However, they were not more likely to drink alcohol weekly or more often in 2020 versus 2019. Compared to the 2019 cohort, the 2020 cohort had higher odds of drinking weekly or more often, having six or more drinks per occasion monthly, and reporting lifetime cannabis use. Conclusions: The 2020 cohort of Year 12 adolescents were more likely to engage in heavy drinking and cannabis use, compared to themselves the previous year, and compared to the previous cohort. Greater alcohol consumption and likelihood of cannabis use among the 2020 cohort might be explained by increased age and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research to monitor if this is a continuing trend is warranted.
... For eligibility, participants needed to (a) be between the ages of 21 and 29, (b) have engaged in HED at least weekly on average during either the past calendar year or typically during the academic year, and (c) be sufficiently proficient in written English to complete study procedures. HED was defined as consuming 4+/5+ drinks in a row for females/males (Wechsler et al., 1995). A standard drink was defined for participants as "a glass of wine, a bottle of beer, a wine cooler, or a shot glass of liquor on its own or mixed." ...
Objective: Transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) sensors capture aspects of drinking events that self-reports cannot. The multidimensional nature of TAC data allows novel classification of drinking days and identification of associated behavioral and contextual risks. We used multilevel latent profile analysis (MLPA) to create day-level profiles of TAC features and test their associations with (a) daily behaviors and contexts and (b) risk for alcohol use disorders at baseline. Method: Two hundred twenty-two regularly heavy-drinking young adults (Mage = 22.3) completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) at baseline and then responded to mobile phone surveys and wore TAC sensors for six consecutive days. MLPA identified day-level profiles using four TAC features (peak, rise rate, fall rate, and duration). TAC profiles were tested as correlates of daily drinking behaviors, contexts, and baseline AUDIT. Results: Four profiles emerged: (a) high-fast (8.5% of days), (b) moderate-fast (12.8%), (c) low-slow (20.4%), and (d) little-to-no drinking days (58.2%). Profiles differed in the odds of risky drinking behaviors and contexts. The highest risk occurred on high-fast days, followed by moderate-fast, low-slow, and little-to-no drinking days. Higher baseline AUDIT predicted higher odds of high-fast and moderate-fast days. Conclusions: Days with high and fast intoxication are reflective of high-risk drinking behaviors and were most frequent among those at risk for alcohol use disorders. TAC research using MLPA may offer novel and important insights to intervention efforts.
... In terms of frequency, rarely or never drinking was assigned a value of 1, occasionally drinking was assigned a value of 2, and frequently drinking was assigned a value of 3. For alcohol consumption, based on measures from previous studies (24), the respondents were assigned a value of 1 if they drank standard amounts of alcohol >5 days per week; otherwise, the assigned value was 2. ...
Objective
The aim of this study is to examine the role of activities of daily living performance (ADLs) and psychological distress in mediating the process by which health behaviors affect QOL.
Methods
A non-probabilistic study was conducted among 1,065 older adult people older than 60 years. Participants were assessed using the Barthel Index, Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Australian Active Survey, and EQ-VAS score. The SPSS22.0 software was used to analyze the differences in QOL scores among older adults with different demographic characteristics. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between health behaviors, psychological distress, ADLs, and QOL. Amos23.0 software was used to construct structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the path of health behavior affecting QOL and the mediating role of BADLs, IADLs and psychological distress.
Results
(1) The direct effect of health behaviors on QOL was not significant in the model; (2) ADLs had multiple mediating effects on the relationship between health behaviors and QOL, and the incidence of ADL limitation was negatively correlated with the reported QOL in the older adult; (3) Psychological distress had a significant mediating effect on the relationship between health behaviors and QOL.
Conclusion
The results of this study elucidated the mechanisms of the correlation between health behaviors and QOL, and added to the existing literature. In addition, these mediating factors and indirect pathways have been identified as targets for intervention to improve the QOL of older adult individuals, which is important for achieving healthy aging.
... Gay and bisexual men were eligible if they reported (1) male sex at birth and current male identity, (2) age of ≥16 years, (3) ≥1 act of CAS with an HIV-positive or status-unknown male partner in the previous 30 days, (4) ≥1 heavy drinking day in the previous 30 days (ie, ≥5 standard alcoholic drinks on 1 occasion per month [55,56]), (5) owning a mobile device (smartphone, tablet, or laptop), (6) residence in Romania for the duration of study participation (12 months), and (7) nonadherence to PrEP and (8) were confirmed to be HIV negative upon testing at baseline. ...
Background
The World Health Organization reported that 80% of new HIV diagnoses in Europe in 2014 occurred in Central and Eastern Europe. Romania has a particularly high HIV incidence, AIDS prevalence, and number of related deaths. HIV incidence in Romania is largely attributed to sexual contact among gay and bisexual men. However, homophobic stigma in Romania serves as a risk factor for HIV infection for gay and bisexual men. The Comunică intervention aims to provide a much-needed HIV risk reduction strategy, and it entails the delivery of motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy skills across 8 live text-based counseling sessions on a mobile platform to gay and bisexual men at risk of HIV. The intervention is based on the information-motivation-behavior and minority stress models. There is preliminary evidence suggesting that Comunică holds promise for reducing gay and bisexual men’s co-occurring sexual (eg, HIV transmission risk behavior), behavioral (eg, heavy alcohol use), and mental (eg, depression) health risks in Romania.
Objective
This paper describes the protocol for a randomized controlled trial designed to test the efficacy of Comunică in a national trial.
Methods
To test Comunică’s efficacy, 305 gay and bisexual men were randomized to receive Comunică or a content-matched education attention control condition. The control condition consisted of 8 time-matched educational modules that present information regarding gay and bisexual men’s identity development, information about HIV transmission and prevention, the importance of HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, heavy alcohol use and its associations with HIV transmission risk behavior, sexual health communication, finding social support, and creating sexual health goals. Participants undergo rapid HIV and syphilis testing and 3-site chlamydia and gonorrhea testing at baseline and the 12-month follow-up. Outcomes are measured before the intervention (baseline) and at the 4-, 8-, and 12-month follow-ups.
Results
The study was funded in September 2018, and data collection began in May 2019. The last participant follow-up was in January 2024. Currently, the data analyst is cleaning data sets in preparation for data analyses, which are scheduled to begin in April 2024. Data analysis meetings are scheduled regularly to establish timelines and examine the results as analyses are gradually being conducted. Upon completion, a list of manuscripts will be reviewed and prioritized, and the team will begin preparing them for publication.
Conclusions
This study is the first to test the efficacy of an intervention with the potential to simultaneously support the sexual, behavioral, and mental health of gay and bisexual men in Central and Eastern Europe using motivational interviewing support and sensitivity to the high-stigma context of the region. If efficacious, Comunică presents a scalable platform to provide support to gay and bisexual men living in Romania and similar high-stigma, low-resource countries.
Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03912753; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03912753
International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/52853
... Despite the importance of biological, psychological, and social variables, and the distinctions of sex and gender, few studies have examined the role of gender in alcohol consumption among post-secondary students [8]. Sex refers to the innate biological differences between males and females, and gender refers to the expression of sex and the accompanying social roles an individual adopts [9][10][11][12]. Using biological models, male post-secondary students have consistently consumed more alcohol and experienced more alcohol-related harms than their female counterparts, even after accounting for age, education, familial risk, and concurrent mental health difficulties [13][14][15]. ...
Background: This study, conducted in October 2017 at two Canadian universities, aimed to explore the relationships between gender expression, protective coping strategies, alcohol saliency, and high-risk alcohol use. Methods: Validated scales were employed to assess these variables using survey data. Multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between these factors and high-risk drinking. Results: This study revealed significant associations between high-risk drinking and androgynous gender roles (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.19–2.10) as well as among self-reported males (OR = 2.21; 95% CI: 1.77–2.75). Additionally, protective behavioural strategies were inversely related to high-risk drinking (OR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.94–0.96), while higher alcohol saliency exhibited a positive correlation with high-risk drinking (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.11–1.14). Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of considering gender, alcohol saliency beliefs, and protective behavioural strategies in the development and refinement of interventions aimed at reducing high-risk alcohol use on Canadian campuses.
