(PS1-23) Predictors of Event-level Intention-inconsistent Drinking

Intention-inconsistent drinking, or drinking behavior that does not align with initial intentions, is a well-established risk factor for alcohol-related consequences and is a key symptom of alcohol use disorders. Event-level research operationalizes intention-inconsistent drinking as the dichotomous occurrence of an unplanned drinking episode (i.e., consuming alcohol when no drinking was planned) or through continuous estimates of a discrepancy statistic (i.e., consumed minus intended drinks). Though past work has highlighted the commonality of unplanned drinking episodes among college students, there is a dearth of research evaluating the discrepancy statistic, and what work does exist disproportionately focuses on special occasions (e.g., 21^st birthdays, spring break), limiting generalizability. Moreover, little is known about potential risk and protective factors for intention-inconsistent drinking behaviors that could be targeted in alcohol interventions. Thus, the current study aimed to (1) describe the occurrence of intention-inconsistent drinking (i.e., unplanned drinking and the discrepancy statistic) during a typical drinking episode and (2) assess the influence of event-level social factors (i.e., descriptive norms, injunctive norms, alcohol offers, and drinking game engagement) on intention-inconsistent drinking. Participants (N = 105, 85% female, 55% White, M_age = 20.61) were heavy drinking college students who participated in two online surveys over a single, typical weekend. A pre-weekend survey assessed drinking intentions for the upcoming weekend while a post-weekend survey assessed actual drinking behaviors and characteristics of the drinking event. Only one drinking event was analyzed per participant (i.e., the first report where consumed drinks exceeded intended drinks). Descriptive statistics showed that, on average, participants consumed 3.05 (SD = 4.06) drinks beyond their intended amount, and 37.1% of drinking episodes were unplanned. A hierarchical linear regression indicated that, when controlling for drinking quantity and sex, descriptive norms were negatively associated with one’s discrepancy statistic. A hierarchical logistic regression predicting unplanned (vs. planned) drinking episodes yielded no significant predictors after controlling for drinking quantity and sex. Consistent with prior research, our findings suggest that intention-inconsistent drinking is common. Interestingly, higher descriptive norms (i.e., perceived quantity of drinks consumed by peers present during the drinking episode) was negatively associated with one’s discrepancy statistic. A smaller discrepancy size may, in reality, reflect more accurate predictions of heavy alcohol consumption. Participants who anticipated drinking among heavy using peers may have intended to consume a higher number of drinks, resulting in a ceiling effect when calculating a discrepancy size. Overall, more work is needed that evaluates a broader set of predictors that may explain variability in intention-inconsistent drinking. Such efforts may consider factors outside the domain of social influence given the present work’s largely null findings.