PREDICTING STABILITY AND CHANGE IN FREQUENCY OF INTOXICATION FROM THECOLLEGE YEARS TO BEYOND - INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCE AND ROLE TRANSITION VARIABLES

The authors examined whether individual-difference variables (e.g., fa mily history of alcoholism, sex, personality traits, positive alcohol expectancies) and role transition-related variables (full-time work st atus, marital status, parenthood) moderate the ''maturing-out'' proces s whereby young adults who drink heavily during college decrease their drinking in the following years. Analyses were based on 288 young adu lts, assessed as full-time students (mostly college seniors, Year 4 of a larger study) and 3 years later (Year 7) when all had earned bachel or's degrees, and the analyses showed that frequency of intoxication ( per week) decreased significantly (p < .0001). Entering the workforce full time, being male, and being less open to experience were associat ed with decreased postcollege drinking. Furthermore, relatively extrav erted individuals were more likely to continue a pattern of frequent i ntoxication from Year 4 to Year 7. The findings stress the importance of studying how individual-difference variables predict behavior acros s role transitions.