Transition Stressors, Coping Orientation, and Alcohol Use in Emerging Adult College Students

Abstract

Emerging adulthood, typically defined as ages 18 to 29 years, is a developmental stage marked increased autonomy, identity exploration, and frequent role transitions. While this period offers growth and opportunities, it also presents significant stressors. Prior studies have found higher rates of alcohol use for emerging adults when compared to other age groups. This holds true for heavy episodic drinking, a drinking behavior associated with increased risk of negative physical and psychological consequences. As suggested by stress and coping theories, this dissertation tested whether stressors and coping orientations were associated with alcohol use in a sample of emerging adult college students, specifically stressors were role transitions, negatively evaluated role transitions, and daily hassles, coping orientations were avoidant, approach, and emotional approach, and alcohol use was heavy episodic drinking and risky alcohol use. A sample of 185 undergraduate students (ages 18-25 years) from a large southern university completed self-report measures of past-month stressors, coping, and alcohol use. Logistic and linear regression results indicated that avoidant coping was positively associated with risky alcohol use while approach coping was inversely associated with risky alcohol use, as hypothesized. However, neither avoidant nor approach coping were associated with risky alcohol use. Emotional approach coping was not associated with either risky alcohol use nor heavy episodic drinking. Stressors were not associated with heavy episodic drinking or risky alcohol use in this study. The only interaction effect that was significant in this study was that of negatively evaluated role transitions x emotional approach coping for heavy episodic drinking. However, this was in the opposite direction than was hypothesized; the relationship between negatively evaluated role transitions and heavy episodic drinking was found to be stronger at higher levels of emotional approach coping. Overall, this study provides useful information on the relationships between coping and alcohol uses in emerging adult college students, supports the use of psychoeducation-based interventions for college students. Directions for future study are suggested.