INDIVIDUAL AND ECOLOGICAL FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF HARMFUL DRINKING AMONG FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS: AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH

Abstract

Objective: Harmful drinking has increased, especially among younger women. To prevent this, we comprehensively understand its related factors. We aimed to examine the ecological factors that affect harmful drinking among Female College Students (FCS) based on the conceptual framework of McLeroy, et al.’s ecological model. Methods: The participants were 229 FCS aged 18-29 years from eight universities in South Korea. Results: We identified factors influencing harmful drinking among the participants using hierarchical logistic regression analysis. Stress relief was the highest among intrapersonal factors associated with harmful drinking (Odds Ratio (OR): 5.380), and those who engaged in social or school activities were more involved in harmful drinking (OR: 4.523). Finally, for college and community factors, the better one’s access to exercise facilities (such as gyms), the lower and the level of harmful drinking (OR: 0.411). When only individual factors were considered, the explanatory power was 49.2%; when both individual and interpersonal factors were input, it was 55%, and the explanatory power of the model-including individual, interpersonal, organizational, and regional factors-was 64.2%. Conclusion: It is important to improve the drinking culture and environment among FCS through continuous monitoring of harmful drinking and university and locality policies. In particular, activities and facilities inside and outside the university should be expanded so that students can maintain healthy social relationships without drinking. Further, psychiatric professionals should develop an intervention program from an integrated perspective.