A longitudinal study of alcohol related harm in heavy drinking university students during their studies and post-graduation, with particular reference to sport participation

Jankowski, Mark (2018) A longitudinal study of alcohol related harm in heavy drinking university students during their studies and post-graduation, with particular reference to sport participation. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University.

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Abstract

Alcohol is a widely abused substance in the United Kingdom, the estimated economic burden of alcohol is anywhere between £21 and £52 billion. Recent research has established elevated levels of alcohol consumption in university undergraduates, in particular students who take part in university sport, making them a population of particular concern amongst researchers. Recent studies have highlighted the need for longitudinal data to better understand if and how alcohol consumption changes post-graduation. Additionally, there is concern over the possible cognitive impacts of elevated alcohol use in undergraduates.
This thesis addresses the concerns outlined above in three separate studies. The first study comprised of a longitudinal online survey that took place over duration of 28 months. Participants completed the survey at 3 points, the first of which was towards the end of their final year of university. The survey used self-report measures to establish levels of alcohol and substance use, memory deficits and demographic data such as employment and sport participation. The second study ran alongside the first and took the form of 3 follow up interviews with the same sample of university sports participants. The aim of this study was to reveal motivations and perceptions of alcohol use. The final study was a lab based investigation into prospective memory (PM) of heavy drinking student who played sport and those who did not. The aim was to better understand differences in PM seen in the baseline phase of study one.
The key findings of this thesis were that alcohol use declined in students following graduation, and to a greater degree in students involved in sport. Despite this decline drinking was still rated as hazardous on average 28 months post-graduation. Additionally sport participation was still influential on elevated alcohol consumption both through the self-report data and in the perceptions of those playing sport.
These findings are of interest as this is one of the first studies of its kind completed in the UK in over 15 years. As such the findings should be used as a platform for further research into these fields to promote understanding and also to develop strategies to reduce alcohol consumption and its associated effects.

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