Competitiveness and Alcohol Use Among Recreational and Elite Collegiate Athletes
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Large-scale, national research studies have consistently indicated that college students participating in athletics consume more alcohol than nonathletes. Theorists have speculated that a number of risk factors could be associated with heavy drinking among this group, although research in the area has been sparse. The purpose of the current study was to assess the relationship between one possible risk factor, competitiveness, in a sample of recreational and elite college athletes to determine whether competitiveness was related to alcohol use among these athletes. Data were collected from a sample of 298 undergraduates from a large university in the northeastern United States. Results showed that competitiveness was associated with higher amounts of alcohol consumption. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.
Holly F. Serrao, Jessica L. Martin, and Tracey L. Rocha are with the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. E-mail: hs482539@albany.edu. Matthew Martens is with the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research at the University of Memphis.
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