Undergraduate drinking and academic performance: a prospective investigation with objective measures
Article
Thombs, Dennis L., Olds, R. Scott, Bondy, Susan J., Winchell, Janice, Baliunas, Dolly and Rehm, Jürgen. 2009. "Undergraduate drinking and academic performance: a prospective investigation with objective measures." Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 70 (5), pp. 776-785. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2009.70.776
Article Title | Undergraduate drinking and academic performance: a prospective investigation with objective measures |
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ERA Journal ID | 6480 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Thombs, Dennis L., Olds, R. Scott, Bondy, Susan J., Winchell, Janice, Baliunas, Dolly and Rehm, Jürgen |
Journal Title | Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs |
Journal Citation | 70 (5), pp. 776-785 |
Number of Pages | 10 |
Year | 2009 |
Publisher | Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc. |
Place of Publication | United States |
ISSN | 0096-882X |
1937-1888 | |
1938-4114 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2009.70.776 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.jsad.com/doi/epdf/10.15288/jsad.2009.70.776?role=tab |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: Findings from previous prospective research suggest the association between alcohol use and undergraduate academic performance is negligible. This study was designed to address weaknesses of the past research by relying on objective measures of both drinking and academic performance. METHOD: A prospective study was conducted with repeated measures of exposure to alcohol linked to institutional academic records. Alcohol data were collected in residence halls at a nonselective, midwestern, public university in the United States. A total of 659 first- and second-year undergraduate students were tracked over the course of 15-week semesters. RESULTS: A statistically significant negative association with semester academic performance was found for different alcohol indicators: frequency of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) above .08, mean BrAC, standard deviation, and maximum BrAC recorded. These associations remained statistically significant when controlled for sociodemographic variables and individual level confounders, but the effect sizes were relatively small with a contribution to explained variance of less than 1%. When additionally adjusted for residence hall building, all alcohol indicators no longer reached statistical significance (p > or = .05). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with past prospective research, the magnitude of the association between undergraduate alcohol use and academic performance is small when the effects of high school academic aptitude and performance are accounted for in multivariable analyses. This is the first study to find that living environment may have a robust effect on the academic achievement of undergraduates. Future research should examine more closely the relation between residence and academic performance and the role that alcohol use may play in creating residential environments. |
Keywords | Adolescent |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 420201. Behavioural epidemiology |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | University of Florida, United States |
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