Debra K. Mooney

Predicting Alcohol Consumption: The Influences of Perceived Opposite-Sex Peer Expectancies and Drinking Behavior

ABSTRACT This study describes the relationship between personal and perceived opposite-sex peer expectations and drinking behavior. As compared to themselves, participants believed that their opposite-sex best friend had greater expectations for the effects of alcohol. Females reported that their male friend drank more often (p < .01) and more per occasion (p < .01) than they did; there was no significant difference regarding the maximum quantity consumed. Males believed that their female friend drank less per typical (p < .01) and maximum (p < .01) occasion than they did; no differences were found for drinking frequency. Perceived peer drinking behavior added to the prediction of self-reported drinking beyond that which is predicted by personal alcohol expectancies. Perceived peer expectancies added to the prediction of personal drinking for females but not males. Gender differences and clinical implications are highlighted.

The Brief Assessment of Tension Scale: A Therapeutic Assessment Activity

Abstract The Brief Assessment of Tension Scale (BATS) provides an empirical description of an individuals current psychological functioning by assessing psycho-social and physiological distress. It offers objective feedback to the subjective experience. When utilized thera-peutically, it assists in defining the presenting problem and/or in reflecting improvement. While a “therapeutic” use of the BATS is encouraged, descriptive statistics and satisfactory psychometric properties have been documented and are outlined below. The purposes of this activity are fivefold, including: (1) to provide “objective” feedback to clients regarding global functioning, tension and distress. That is, to offer a descriptive explanation and reflection of emotional experiences. (2) to assist in the process of client self-disclosure and insight. (3) to assist in the process of diagnostic assessment. (4) to compare, intra-personally, states of functioning (deterioration and improvements) during the course of psychotherapy and at the termination session. (5) to compare, inter-personally, states of functioning (e.g., How does this clients functioning compare to others in a particular setting?).

Transcollegial leadership: a new paradigm for leadership

Purpose The increasing complexity of higher education has led to the need for a different type of leader that transcends traditional boundaries and individual self-interest. The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative form of leadership consistent with the unique challenges faced by institutions of higher education today. Design/methodology/approach First, existing research on leadership is explored. Particular attention is placed on identifying the applicability of the primary leadership approaches to the unique organizational environment typically found in institutions of higher education. Transcollegial leadership is then developed as an alternative form of leadership better suited to colleges and universities in today’s dynamic environment. Findings After examining the inadequacies of existing forms of leadership in higher education, transcollegial leadership is introduced as the process involved in leaders systematically, but informally, relating to persons and groups of equivalent authority in different areas of an institution of higher education for its betterment and the advancement of its mission, not for person gain. Practical implications It appears that transcollegial leadership may be specifically suited for institutions of higher education given their unique organizational structure. Transcollegial leadership permits colleges and universities to better utilize the skills and expertise of their members. The skills and expertise of transcollegial leaders not only benefit their home organizational units, but can benefit the entire organization. Originality/value The paper examines a different approach to leadership to aid colleges and universities in facing the challenges of a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive environment.

Assessing Binge Drinking: What You Get Is What You… Ask!

was pleased to read “The Measure of Binge Drinking” section in Wechsler and associates’ article College Binge I Drinking in the 1990s-A Continuing Problem: Results of the Harvard School of Public Health 1999 College Alcohol Survey.’ In that section, the authors meticulously described the contemporary definition of heavy episodic consumption, including historical factors and the important influences of gender, time frame, and quantity. Anyone who has ever attempted to acquire information from a group of people has quickly recognized the importance of the Question. I certainly did while completing my doctoral dissertation project. Briefly, the project examined factors related to alcohol use among college students (n = 320).2 The students indicated how often they drank (frequency), how much they typically consumed per drinking occasion (quantity), and the most they had drunk at one time in the past 2 months (maximum quantity). Female students averaged 5.3 (SD = 4.6) drinking occasions per month, the typical quantity consumed per occasion was 4.0 (SD = 2.6) drinks, and the maximum quantity consumed within the last 2 months was 11 .O (SD = 6.6). drinks. For men, the average number of drinking occasions per month was 7.4 (SD = 6.3), the typical quantity consumed was 6.0 (SD = 3.6), and the maximum quantity consumed within the last 2 months was 12.2 (SD = 6.4) drinks. A comparison of quantity and maximum quantity offered some startling, if not ”sobering,” findings. Note that the average drinking style for both male and female students would be classified as binge drinking according to the current, universal definition. Even more striking is that the maximum drinking level for women is equivalent to that of men (not statistically different), yet is almost triple the typical amount women consumed. Throughout the addiction literature, researchers suggest that quantity (rather than frequency) of consumption may best serve as an indicator of problematic drinking because the number of drinking situations (ie, frequency) is typically based on social factors, whereas quantity is generally more under the individual’s control. Similarly, researchers have expressed a growing interest in the “convergence hypothesis,” which speculates that women’s drinking levels are increasing and are reaching those observed in men.314 It may be that convergence occurs during the most risky and problematic drinking episodes (ie, infrequent large doses). The assessment of maximum quantity of drinking (in addition to frequency and customary quantity) may be warranted in alcohol surveys on college campuses. Such an inquiry would include gender, time frame (ie, 2 months), and quantity at any given drinking occasion, as described by Wechsler et al, as well as the most hazardous and high-risk drinking style.