ELSA 2018 Cohort: Protective Behavioral Strategies as Mediators of the Relationship between Risk Factors and Alcohol Outcomes in Argentinean College Freshmen

PILATTI, ANGELINA; BRAVO, ADRIAN J; MICHELINI, YANINA; PAUTASSI, RICARDO MARCOS

ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM

OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Año: 2021 vol. 56 p. 460 - 469

0735-0414

Aims: The present study examined which types of alcohol protective behavioral strategies ([PBSs],Manner of Drinking [MOD] strategies, Serious Harm Reduction [SHR] or Limiting/Stopping Drinkingstrategies [LSD]) mediate the effects of a comprehensive number of distal antecedents on alcoholdrinking quantity and alcohol-related negative consequences.Methods: A sample of 762 last-month college freshman drinkers from Argentina (Meanage = 19.60 ± 3.80) completed a survey that assessed alcohol outcomes (drinking quantity during atypical week and alcohol-related negative consequences), frequency of use of PBS and a set of distalantecedents (i.e. age at drinking onset, drinking motives, college alcohol beliefs and impulsivity-liketraits).Results: MOD significantly mediated the effects of college alcohol beliefs (higher beliefs wereassociated with lower MOD use) and coping motives (higher coping motives were associatedwith lower MOD use) on alcohol outcomes. SHR significantly mediated the effects of sex (womenreported more frequent SHR use) and enhancement motives (higher motivation was associatedwith lower SHR use) on alcohol-related negative consequences.Conclusion: Our findings partially support a mediational role of PBS in the association betweenrisk factors and alcohol outcomes, and offer valuable information for the design of interventions toreduce alcohol use in South-American college students. More studies examining PBS as mediatorsof distal antecedents are needed to fully understand the peculiarities of these associations indifferent cultures