Abstract
College students involved in Greek life (i.e., members of fraternities and sororities) are at heightened risk for experiencing greater alcohol use and problems compared to non-members. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are effective at reducing alcohol-related harm, particularly among those at increased risk for alcohol-related consequences. Thus, Greek life students may experience great benefit from PBS use; however, few studies have examined PBS use among Greek-affiliated college students. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether relations among PBS use, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems varied according to Greek life status. Participants were 2879 college students (25.3% Greek- affiliated; 69.1% female) from 12 US universities who reported past-month alcohol use. Participants completed measures of Greek life status, alcohol use and problems, and PBS use via online survey. Greek life students reported more weekly drinks, more alcohol-related problems, and less frequent PBS use than non-Greek students. A moderated mediation model found that alcohol use mediated the relation between PBS use and alcohol-related consequences, such that more frequent PBS use was associated with lower alcohol use, which was in turn associated with fewer negative consequences. Further, there was a significant moderation effect, such that the negative relationship between PBS use and alcohol use was strengthened for Greek life students. The current study extends previous work indicating that PBS are particularly beneficial for individuals at heightened risk for experiencing alcohol-related problems to also include members of Greek life. Interventions promoting PBS use may assist in decreasing alcohol-related harm among Greek life students.
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Data availability
Data from this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This project was completed by the Harm Reduction Research Team, which includes the following investigators (in alphabetical order): Robert Dvorak, University of Central Florida; Lindsay S. Ham, University of Arkansas; Margo C. Hurlocker (Co-PI), University of New Mexico; Thad Leffingwell, Oklahoma State University; Alison Looby, University of Wyoming; P. Priscilla Lui, Southern Methodist University; Michael B. Madson (Co-PI), University of Southern Mississippi; Ellen Meier, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Kevin Montes, California State University-Dominguez Hills; Lucy Napper, LeHigh University; Mark A. Prince, Colorado State University; Monika Skewes, University of Montana; Byron Zamboanga, University of Arkansas.
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Zimmerman, L., Livingston, N.R., Berry, K.A. et al. Protective behavioral strategies convey greater protection against alcohol-related problems for members of Greek life than non-members. Curr Psychol 43, 15422–15430 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05520-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05520-1