Date of Award

2020-01-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Craig A. Field

Abstract

Alcohol protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are cognitive-behavioral strategies used before, during, and/or after drinking to reduce alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Self-determination theory (SDT) provides a potentially useful framework to understand motivations for responsible drinking, which is operationalized in the present study as PBS use. In the present study, the relation of motivations for responsible drinking, as assessed by the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ), with other SDT constructs (psychological need satisfaction and dispositional autonomy) and PBS use, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems were examined among college students drinkers. A sample of 507 college students who reported consuming alcohol at least once in the past 3 months were recruited from a random sample of students enrolled at a Hispanic Serving Institution to complete an online survey. Support for a 4-factor structure of the TSRQ that is theoretically consistent with SDT was replicated in the present study. The TSRQ demonstrated scalar invariance across biological sex. Further, consistent with SDT-based hypotheses, greater psychological need satisfaction and dispositional autonomy were related to more self-determined motivations for responsible drinking. Also consistent with SDT, more self-determined motivations for responsible drinking were related to more frequent PBS use, weaker drinking motives, less alcohol use, and fewer alcohol-related problems. The present findings further support the utility of the TSRQ for assessing motivations for responsible drinking and support SDT as a framework for understanding responsible drinking. Future directions for research applying SDT to understand and promote responsible drinking among college students are discussed.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

97 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Dylan Richards

Included in

Psychology Commons

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