NCJ Number
242368
Journal
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 56 Issue: 3 Dated: December 2012 Pages: 59-76
Date Published
December 2012
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined college students' ability to distinguish the signs of alcohol poisoning from other physiological symptoms.
Abstract
This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of students who could correctly discriminate signs of alcohol poisoning from other physiological complaints. Freshman (N=336) completed an online survey assessing alcohol use and the ability to identify signs of alcohol poisoning from other physiological symptoms. Only 36.6 percent of students could correctly identify all six signs of alcohol poisoning. Many students made errors of commission, endorsing distractor items. Only 24.7 percent of students showed correct discrimination and regression analyses indicated better discriminability of correct symptoms by heavier, more frequent drinkers, non-Caucasian and non-Greek affiliated students. Findings suggest that current psychoeducational efforts may not be resonating with students, and providers and administrators may want to consider alternative means to make this important information more salient to students. (Published Abstract)