Exposure to media with alcohol-related content across young adulthood: Associations with risky drinking and consequences among high-risk 2- and 4-year college students

Abstract

Introduction: Exposure to media with alcohol-related content is a known risk for alcohol use and related harms among young people. The present study used longitudinal self-report data on exposure to media with alcohol-related content to examine age trajectories across young adulthood and to estimate associations with heavy episodic drinking (HED) and negative consequences. Method: Participants were 201 high-risk young adults enrolled in 2- and 4-year colleges (ages 18–25 at screening; 63.7% female). Repeated assessments occurred at four timepoints across a 12-month period. Results: Self-reported exposure to both positively and negatively portrayed alcohol-related media content decreased with age. Between-persons, controlling for alcohol use frequency, exposure to positive alcohol-related media content was positively associated with HED, and exposure to negative alcohol-related media content was inversely associated with HED; no within-person effects on HED were significant. For negative consequences, controlling for alcohol quantity, exposure to positive media content was associated with more negative consequences both between- and within-persons. Unexpectedly, exposure to negatively portrayed media content was positively associated with negative consequences at the within-person level. Discussion and Conclusions: Trajectories in exposure to media with alcohol-related content showed that relatively younger participants reported greater exposure, highlighting the need for policy and prevention efforts to protect this vulnerable demographic. Findings generally indicated that positive portrayals of alcohol use increase alcohol-related risks. Moreover, increased exposure to negative portrayals in a given assessment was associated with more negative consequences—potentially by normalising or glorifying high-risk drinking and consequences, though mechanistic/causal research is needed.