Hostility in mandated students: Exploratory analysis and implications for treatment

College students mandated to receive an intervention following an alcohol-related campus violation are a high-risk group of students experiencing the negative effects of alcohol. Understanding the psychological properties associated with mandated students' alcohol use may provide useful clinical information. Hostility is a trait that has shown association with heavy drinking in adults but has gone unstudied in mandated students. We examined the relationship between hostility and a variety of drinking-related variables in mandated students (N = 466). Results indicated that individuals reporting higher levels of hostility reported riskier drinking and alcohol-related problems, yet exhibited ambivalence regarding their alcohol use. Findings are discussed in the context of treating mandated students exhibiting high hostility and risky drinking, a particularly challenging population.