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“I Got Your Back”: Friends’ Understandings Regarding College Student Spring Break Behavior

Journal of Youth and Adolescence volume 40, pages 108–120 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Behaviors that pose threats to safety and health, including binge drinking and unprotected sex, increase during a week-long break from university. Understandings with peers regarding these behaviors may be important for predicting behavior and related harms. College students (N = 651; 48% men) reported having understandings with their friends regarding alcohol use (59%) and sexual behavior (45%) during Spring Break. These understandings were to engage in behaviors characterized by risk (e.g., get drunk [23.5%], have sex with someone new [5.2%]) and protection (e.g., drink without getting drunk [17.8%], use condoms [15.8%]). After controlling for previous semester behavior and going on a Spring Break trip, Get Drunk Understandings predicted a greater likelihood of binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences; No/Safe Sex Understandings predicted condom use; and Sex Understandings predicted not using condoms. Understandings with friends regarding Spring Break behavior may be important proximal predictors of risk behaviors and represent potential targets for event-specific prevention.

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Acknowledgments and Disclosures

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism supported data collection for the University Life Study and manuscript preparation with a grant to J. Maggs (R01 AA016016), and manuscript preparation with a grant to M. Patrick (F32 AA017806). The content here is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the sponsors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106-1248, USA

    Megan E. Patrick

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, S110 Henderson Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Nicole Morgan, Jennifer L. Maggs & Eva S. Lefkowitz

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  1. Megan E. Patrick
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  2. Nicole Morgan
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  3. Jennifer L. Maggs
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  4. Eva S. Lefkowitz
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Correspondence to Megan E. Patrick.

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Patrick, M.E., Morgan, N., Maggs, J.L. et al. “I Got Your Back”: Friends’ Understandings Regarding College Student Spring Break Behavior. J Youth Adolescence 40, 108–120 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9515-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9515-8

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