Is gender relevant only for problem alcohol behaviors? An examination of correlates of alcohol use among college students

This study examined correlates of alcohol use: substance-use coping, drinking to “feel high,” and depressive symptoms as related to drinking behaviors in males and females. A sample of 266 female and 140 male college students from a private and public college were surveyed. Males reported more frequent alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, binge drinking, substance-use coping, and drinking to “feel high.” There were no gender differences in self-reported depressive symptoms. Alcohol-use frequency and binge drinking were both accounted for by substance-use coping and drinking to “feel high” among males and females. However, alcohol-related problems were accounted for by males' frequency of alcohol use and drinking to “feel high,” whereas females' problems were accounted for by frequency of alcohol use and depressive symptoms. Findings indicate that motivation for drinking is a more robust correlate of alcohol-related problems among males, while depressive symptomatology is a more relevant correlate of alcohol-related problems among females.