Drinking Alcohol and Subjective Well-Being among College Students
The negative effects of alcohol abuse by many college students is well-documented. However, evidence suggests that alcohol use by college and university students may also be associated with positive outcomes such as subjective well-being. Subjective well-being includes components of life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect.
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- College Student Drinking
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- Campus drinking: What's Really Going On
- A Campus/Community Coalition to Reduce Alcohol-Related Problems
- Drinking with Parents is "Protective" of Alcohol Abuse
- Talk About Alcohol & Drinking with Your College-Bound Student
- Teach Safe Drinking to Your College-Bound Teen
A study of Canadian university students explored the subject. At the end of their first term, paper-and-pencil data on their subjective well-being were collected from first-year students. Near the end of their third year, data were again collected from the same students. The follow-up completion rate was 75%.
Greater alcohol consumption (higher quantity and frequency of consumption, more frequent intoxication, more frequent heavy episodic drinking -- sometimes called "binge drinking) predicted greater subjective well-being.
Source:
- Molnar, D.S, et al. A longitudinal examination of alcohol use and subjective well-being in an undergraduate sample. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2009, 70(5), 704-713.
Note: This website is informational only and does not provide any health recommendations and none should be inferred.
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