Mental Health Correlates with Adverse Pregaming Effects in Students

A recent study discovered that college students with social anxiety and depression were more inclined to engage in ‘pregaming’—drinking alcohol before attending social events—and faced more negative consequences as a result. These findings underscore the importance of interventions targeting mental health issues to address problematic alcohol consumption.

‘Pregaming,’ also known as prepartying, frontloading, or preloading, involves consuming alcohol before social events, such as parties or nights out, often leading to further drinking. It’s a prevalent activity among college students, with recent research indicating that over 50% have participated in pregaming in the last 30 days.

Exploring the Relationship Between Pregaming, Motives, Mental Health, and Consequences in College Students

Participating in pregaming consistently associates with negative alcohol-related consequences, encompassing academic and interpersonal challenges, heightened risks of injury, physical and sexual assault, DUIs, and blackouts. A recent study investigated the connections between pregaming motives, social anxiety, depression, and the negative consequences associated with pregaming over the past 30 days among college students.

The study involved 485 full-time undergraduate students, aged 18 to 24, attending a single, large, private university in the United States. These students reported pregaming at least once a week in the past month. The majority of the sample was white (47.8%), female (67.2%), and cisgender.

Using the Prepartying Motivations Inventory (PMI), the researchers evaluated four subtypes of motives for pregaming: interpersonal enhancement (e.g., “To meet new friends“), intimate pursuit (e.g., “To increase the chances of hooking up“), situational control (e.g., “So I have control over what I consume“), and barriers to consumption (e.g., “Because I am underage and can’t purchase alcohol at the destination venue“). They also gauged social anxiety and depression symptoms and utilized the Brief Young Adult Consequence Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) to assess consequences experienced on days when pregaming occurred.

Examining Participants’ Categorization Based on Social Anxiety, Depression Symptoms, and Pregaming Motivations

Participants were categorized into four profiles based on their responses: 59.5% exhibited mild/moderate social anxiety and depression symptoms with moderate motivation to pregame, 12.7% had minimal social anxiety and depression symptoms with low pregaming motivations, 15.6% displayed subclinical/elevated social anxiety and depression symptoms with high pregaming motives, and 12.1% demonstrated clinically elevated social anxiety and depression symptoms with moderate motives.

The profile with subclinical/elevated social anxiety and depression symptoms reported the highest frequency of pregaming and the greatest number of drinking-related consequences in the past month. They experienced an average of three-and-a-half alcohol-induced blackouts, significantly higher than any other group and almost double that of the mild/moderate social anxiety and depression symptoms profile. This group also expressed more motivations for pregaming, particularly in the areas of interpersonal enhancement and intimate pursuits, compared to the other profiles.

Lower Blood Alcohol Levels and Limited Consequences in a Subset with Minimal Social Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

In contrast, the group identified with minimal social anxiety and depression symptoms had notably lower calculated blood alcohol levels (BAL) and reported the fewest alcohol-related consequences among all the groups. Nonetheless, this group still reached concerning BALs exceeding 0.08%.

The study’s results indicate that addressing social anxiety in conjunction with depression is a crucial consideration for tailoring interventions aimed at pregaming.

The researchers emphasized, “Our findings carry important clinical implications. Social anxiety and depression symptoms emerge as significant risk factors for both pregaming consumption and its consequences. Interventions that traditionally target the social motives of drinking, such as social norms and interventions, can better serve individuals with these symptoms by incorporating discussions that help students achieve their pregaming goals without relying on it as a coping mechanism for their symptoms.”

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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