The current study of 389 university freshman cited by the administration for underaged drinking examines gender and three drinking contexts (i.e., convivial, intimate, and negative coping) as differential predictors of personal problems (e.g., depressed, nervous) and social problems (e.g., unplanned sex, drove under the influence) that respondents attribute to their own alcohol use. Results demonstrated that more than one third of these respondents reported at least one personal problem, which they attributed to the use of alcohol in the previous year, and about half reported at least one social problem. However, when logistic regression was employed, results showed that drinking to cope with negative emotions was the only independent predictor of personal drinking-related problems. Drinking excessively in convivial circumstances, intimate encounters, drinking to cope with negative emotions, and being male were all independently predictive of social problems related to alcohol abuse. Implications for assessment and early intervention strategies are suggested.
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