Beliefs about Alcohol and the College Experience as Determinants of Academic and Social Outcomes among Undergraduate Students.

ALCOHOL drinking; ACADEMIC achievement; SOCIAL integration; FIRST-generation college students; RACE; ETHNICITY; GRADING of students; FRIENDSHIP

In this paper we extend prior studies on alcohol beliefs among college undergraduates, which have focused primarily on their relationship to drinking, by assessing the extent to which the notion that alcohol use is integral to the student role impacts college undergraduates’ academic and social experiences. An analysis of data from a survey administered at a mid-sized private university indicated that alcohol beliefs affected a range of academic and social outcomes related to persistence, including grades, social integration, and students’ evaluations of their social experiences, especially among members of disadvantaged groups. While permissive alcohol beliefs increased the number of good friends white students had on campus, they reduced core friendship network size among students who identified as racial or ethnic minorities. Permissive alcohol beliefs were also inversely related to satisfaction with social life at the university among students of color and to grades, especially among first generation students. The latter findings were not explained by the strong relationship between alcohol beliefs and drinking. Thus, the association of the use of alcohol with the student role may contribute to negative academic and social experiences among members of disadvantaged groups in ways that are not directly tied to the consumption of alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of College Student Journal is the property of Project Innovation Austin LLC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)