Cj. Cherpitel, ALCOHOL, INJURY, AND RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR - DATA FROM A NATIONAL SAMPLE, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 17(4), 1993, pp. 762-766
The association of alcohol consumption and injury is well documented i
n the literature. It has also been suggested that alcohol consumption
is associated with risk-taking behaviors. No studies have reported the
association of alcohol consumption and risk-taking behaviors with inj
ury across all injury types, however. Data were collected (1990) from
a national probability household sample (n = 2058; weighted n = 1150)
on: injuries that required treatment during the last year; quantity an
d frequency (Q-F) of drinking; and behaviors associated with risk perc
eption, risk-taking/impulsivity, and sensation seeking. The injured (1
2% of the sample) were more likely to be male, younger, and to report
moderate and heavy drinking and more frequent drunkenness compared wit
h those with no injuries. They were also less likely to score high on
risk perception and more likely to score high on risk-taking/impulsivi
ty and sensation seeking than those with no injuries. However, using l
ogistic regression analysis to predict a treated injury during the las
t year, only the interaction term of gender by Q-F was significant, wi
th Q-F a significant predictor of injury among males but not among fem
ales.