Location-Specific Social Norms and Personal Approval of Alcohol Use are Associated with Drinking Behaviors in College Students

Abstract

<i>Background</i>: Prior research on risky alcohol use points to drinking norms as predictors of drinking behavior. Most research to date has only explored global (versus context-specific) drinking norms as they relate to general drinking behavior. To better understand risky drinking behavior in students, how norms may vary across drinking environments should be considered. <i>Objectives:</i> We sought to explore differences in drinking norms (descriptive and injunctive), personal approval, and alcohol use across specific drinking locations and how these location-specific predictors combine to best predict alcohol consumption in home/dorm locations, bars, and parties. <i>Methods:</i> College student drinkers (<i>N</i> = 115, 76% female) participated in an anonymous online cross-sectional survey in 2015-2016 assessing personal and perceived drinking experiences and attitudes across various locations. <i>Results:</i> Alcohol use, descriptive norms of alcohol use, and injunctive norms of alcohol use (but not personal approval) varied across location. In addition, location-specific descriptive norms were associated with alcohol use in each drinking location, whereas location specific personal approval was associated with alcohol use only at home/dorm and bar locations. Furthermore, descriptive norms and personal approval of drinking in a given location predicted alcohol use in that same location, while norms or approval for other locations did not. <i>Conclusion/Importance:</i> Results highlight the importance of specificity of perceived drinking norms and personal approval for predicting location-specific alcohol use. These findings have implications for interventions, which may benefit from discussions of students' preferred drinking locations and providing location-specific normative feedback.