Frequency of drinking games participation and alcohol-related problems in a multiethnic sample of college students: Do gender and ethnicity matter?

• Main Authors: Zamboanga, Byron L., Pesigan, Ivan Jacob Agaloos, Tomaso, Cara C., Schwartz, Seth J., Ham, Lindsay S., Bersamin, Melina, Kim, Su Yeong, Cano, Miguel A., Castillo, Linda G., Forthun, Larry F., Whitbourne, Susan Krauss, Hurley, Eric A.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2015
• Subjects: College students—Alcohol use; Drinking games; Ethnicity—Psychological aspects; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/1548; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/faculty_research/article/2547/type/native/viewcontent
• Institution: De La Salle University

Introduction: A drinking game (DG) is a high-risk, social drinking activity that consists of certain rules (i.e., when to drink and how much to consume) designed to promote inebriation and that requires each player to perform a cognitive and/or motor task (Zamboanga et al., 2013). Research suggests that non-White or female students who play DGs are at an increased risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems. Thus, this study examined whether the associations between DG participation and alcohol-related problems were similar for men and women and across ethnic groups. Method: College students (N. =. 7409; 73% women; 64% White, 8% Black, 14% Hispanic, 14% Asian) from 30 U.S. colleges/universities completed self-report questionnaires. Results: Controlling for age, site, Greek membership (i.e., membership in a fraternity or sorority), and typical alcohol consumption, results indicated that the association between DG participation and alcohol-related problems was stronger for men compared to women. With respect to ethnicity, the association between these variables was stronger among Black women than Black men. Conclusions: Findings from this large-scale study highlight the need to closely investigate how gender and ethnicity moderate the associations between DG participation and alcohol-related problems. College intervention efforts designed to address high-risk drinking behaviors such as DG participation might consider paying close attention to ethnic minority populations, perhaps particularly Black women.© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.