ATTACHMENT STYLES AND PERCEPTIONS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN A COLLEGE POPULATION

The investigators sought to explore the correlation between attachment style and alcohol consumption that has been highlighted by previous researchers (McNally, Palfai, Levine, & Moore, 2003; De Rick, Vanheule, & Verhaeghe, 2009; Tops, Koole, Ijzerman, & Buisman-Pijlman, 2014). Specifically, the current study measured factors such as current alcohol use levels, estimated alcohol use levels of peers, motivations for consuming alcohol, and self-esteem in a college population. The current study was not able to reestablish the correlation between insecure attachment styles and increased alcohol consumption. However, alcohol consumption was found to have several significant positive correlations with social motivations, coping motivations, enhancement motivations, and estimated alcohol use of peers. Additionally, the current study found that, on average, participants estimated their peers’ levels of alcohol consumption to be almost five times higher than the amount of alcohol that they personally consumed. Among other implications discussed, the results could guide university staff members in creating underage drinking prevention initiatives