Testing the Conjoint Influence of Impulsivity and Drinking Restraint on Alcohol Use Consequences in College Student Drinkers.

OBJECTIVES:Impulsivity and drinking restraint play a role in excessive drinking patterns and related negative consequences. Two domains of drinking restraint include preoccupation with thoughts of drinking (CEP) and attempts to control drinking (CBC), which differentially predict varying alcohol use outcomes in clinical and non-clinical samples. However, findings do not replicate across clinical, dependent samples and risky drinking young adults. This study examined the moderating role of dispositional impulsivity on the association between drinking restraint and alcohol consequences among college students to help clarify inconsistencies in the literature.METHODS:Data were collected from a sample of college student drinkers (N = 393) on drinking behavior in the past 90 days, alcohol-related problems, dispositional impulsivity, and drinking restraint.RESULTS:The association between CBC and alcohol consequences was significantly stronger for those higher than lower in dispositional impulsivity, after controlling for the effects of alcohol consumption. No such relationship was found for those high in trait temptation.CONCLUSIONS:Alcohol consequences are greater among those who attempt to control their drinking and who act rashly and without consideration of future consequences; those who are high on trait temptation show no such relationship.