Positive heavy drinking attitude mediates the association between college alcohol beliefs and alcohol-related outcomes.

College alcohol beliefs and personal attitudes about alcohol use are important predictors of alcohol use and related problems both cross-sectionally and over time. However, little work has examined these constructs together and how they may influence one another in predicting various alcohol related outcomes over time. The current study aimed to evaluate one's attitude toward heavy drinking as a mediator of the association between college alcohol beliefs and drinking related outcomes over a 12-month period of time. Participants were mandated students (n = 568; 28% female) who violated campus alcohol policy and received a Brief Motivational Intervention. Analyses included the use of linear regression for prospective predictions as well as PROCESS to evaluate the proposed mediation models. Overall, the results indicate that one's attitude toward heavy drinking significantly mediates the association between college alcohol beliefs and drinks per week, binge frequency, as well as alcohol-related problems over 12 months. These findings provide a compelling rationale for incorporating both college alcohol beliefs and attitudes in the development and refinement of intervention strategies.

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