Date of Award

Fall 12-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Abby L. Braitman

Committee Member

Adrian J. Bravo

Committee Member

Ivan K. Ash

Abstract

Among college populations, students who are members of social Greek life organizations (i.e., social fraternities and sororities) drink more and experience higher rates of negative alcohol-related consequences than their non-affiliated peers. Although there has been success of alcohol interventions in general college populations, research has shown that college drinking interventions that are delivered to students in Greek life are not efficacious in reducing alcohol consumption or related consequences. It is meaningful to investigate if the content commonly addressed in these interventions, although well-documented as being linked to drinking in the general college population, has the same associations for students who are members of Greek life. The current study (N=536) examined 1) how alcohol-related consequences differ across Greek life membership, gender, and their interaction, 2) associations between constructs (included in interventions and not yet included) and alcohol quantity to identify which constructs are most salient for student groups defined by the intersection of gender and Greek membership, and 3) the associations between sense of belonging in one’s Greek organization and alcohol outcomes among Greek life students. Results indicated that men rate negative consequences as more positive than women, and Greek life members reported greater experiences of negative and positive consequences than non-members. Findings from Aim 2 suggest that the most salient predictors of alcohol quantity differ between all four groups (e.g., sorority women, non-member men). However, no predictors were significant among fraternity members, suggesting further examination may be necessary. There were no significant associations between sense of belonging in one’s Greek organization and any alcohol outcomes, contrary to hypotheses in Aim 3. Gender only moderated one association, such that the positive association between sense of belonging in one’s Greek organization and quantity were stronger for men than women. Implications suggest differently tailored interventions are warranted among these groups. These findings suggest important differences across Greek life membership and gender related to alcohol-related behaviors and constructs of interest in interventions. Considering important differences between these student groups may inform more beneficial ways to tailor drinking interventions to better address alcohol-related outcomes among college students.

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DOI

10.25777/kehr-0d55

ISBN

9798276040226

ORCID

0009-0007-9679-8019

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