Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Alcohol misuse is common among university students in Canada. More than one-third of students drink at harmful levels. This behaviour is a major public health concern and costs to individuals and society, as heavy drinking leads to many negative health outcomes (e.g., drunk driving accidents). The development of effective prevention programs needs to be based on an understanding of why, in what contexts and which students drink so heavily. Research has shown that students who are socially anxious experience extreme discomfort in social situations, like parties, and may be at risk for heavy drinking. At university, alcohol use often occurs at social events, which cause great distress for socially anxious students. As a way to tolerate these difficult social situations, socially anxious students may be inclined to drink before attending the event, also known as pre-drinking. In this way alcohol relieves distress prior to arriving at the event. Also, socially anxious men and women may differ in drinking behaviour. Women may be more likely to pre-drink to relieve tension, which increases risk for heavy drinking. Socially anxious individuals may also pre-drink alone as drinking with others may cause distress. Evidence suggests that drinking alone and drinking to relieve discomfort leads to serious negative consequences. To date, pre-drinking has not received enough attention. The proposed research aims to determine the role of pre-drinking in the link between SA and problem drinking in university students and will clarify differences between men and women. Undergraduate students will report, using smartphones, real time information while pre-drinking such as motives (i.e., alcohol helps relieve tension) and drinking contexts (e.g. alone). The findings will inform the development of university prevention programs/campaigns and clinical treatments targeting alcohol misuse in young Canadians.