Pre-drinking motives are directly associated with alcohol-related consequences even after adjusting for alcohol use on a given night: A consequence-specific analysis

Florian Labhart; Koen Smit; Dan Anderson-Luxford; Emmanuel Kuntsche

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107526

Pre-drinking motives are directly associated with alcohol-related consequences even after adjusting for alcohol use on a given night: A consequence-specific analysis

Addict Behav. 2023 Feb:137:107526. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107526. Epub 2022 Nov 1.

Authors

Florian Labhart¹, Koen Smit², Dan Anderson-Luxford³, Emmanuel Kuntsche⁴

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; Addiction Switzerland, Research Institute, Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: flabhart@addictionsuisse.ch.
² Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: k.smit@latrobe.edu.au.
³ Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: d.anderson-luxford@latrobe.edu.au.
⁴ Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: e.kuntsche@latrobe.edu.au.

PMID: 36351321
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107526

Abstract

Introduction: Pre-drinking motives (PDM) are linked with different characteristics of pre-drinking occasions (e.g., fast-paced drinking, socializing, moving across locations) that are potentially related to adverse night-level consequences. This study examines the direct associations of three PDM dimensions (fun/intoxication, facilitation, and conviviality) with the occurrence of five consequences (hangover, impaired driving, blackout, risky sex, fight/injury) over and above amounts of alcohol consumed that night.

Methods: A sample of 138 young adult nightlife goers (55.1 % men, M_age = 19.0 SD = 2.4) in Switzerland reported PDM at baseline, and subsequently reported night-level alcohol use and consequences the next morning on 12.1 weekend nights on average (N = 1,663 participant-nights). Correlational analyses and multilevel logistic regression models assessed associations between PDM and night-level consequences.

Results: After adjusting for amounts consumed, age, sex and monthly pre-drinking frequency, conviviality PDM were associated with higher odds of risky sex (OR = 2.68) and lower odds of blackout (OR = 0.57) while fun/intoxication PDM were associated with lower odds of risky sex (OR = 0.35). Interaction analyses per gender showed that fun/intoxication PDM were associated with lower odds of impaired driving among women (OR = 0.25). Results remained the same when adjusting for general drinking motives, which were not associated with night-level consequences.

Conclusion: PDM might better capture risk factors for experiencing night-level consequences than general drinking motives. Preventive intervention should make young people aware that pre-drinking is not only associated with higher amounts of alcohol consumed, but also with increased risks of specific night-level consequences, including blackouts and risky sexual behaviors, depending on the level of endorsement of each PDM.

Keywords: Black-out; Event-level data; Impaired driving; Negative consequences; Predrinking motives; Risky sex.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Alcohol Drinking / adverse effects
Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology
Alcoholic Intoxication* / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Motivation*
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Social Behavior
Young Adult