Prospective Examination of How Alcohol Consumption Might Drive Changes in Urgency and Drinking Motives Over the First Year of College

Abstract

Objective: Negative and positive urgency are risk factors for alcohol escalation during college, partly through increasing motives for alcohol use, which then contribute to subsequent drinking. Research has focused on the causal direction from trait to motives to alcohol consumption. The current study conducted an initial test of how alcohol use might drive changes in urgency, and subsequent changes in motives over the first year of college. Participants: 418 first-year college students (Mage = 18.16, 73.7% female, 86.5% White) were sampled at three timepoints. Methods: Mediation models were used to test hypotheses. Results: Alcohol use at baseline predicted increased enhancement motives through increased positive urgency (B = .0028, 95% CI [.0000, .0007]). Alcohol use at baseline did not predict coping motives through changes in negative urgency (B = .0002, 95% CI [-0.0020, .0030]). Conclusions: Changes in positive urgency and enhancement motives secondary to alcohol use appear to occur early in one's drinking history, making them prime targets for early prevention strategies.