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Evaluation of a Measure of Incidental Legal Risk Behaviors in College Students Who Use Alcohol

NCJ Number
216602
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 36 Issue: 2 Dated: 2006 Pages: 125-139
Author(s)
Melissa J. Leedy M.S.; Thad R. Leffingwell Ph.D.
Date Published
2006
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study developed the Legal Risk Behaviors with using Alcohol (LRBA) measure to assess the relative frequency of incidental behaviors of college students while they are drinking that may put them at increased risk for legal consequences.
Abstract
The preliminary findings indicated that the LRBA is a valid and reliable measure of alcohol-related legal-risk behaviors. The LRBA demonstrated both internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The LRBA is composed of three types of drinking behavior--risky, protective, and private--that are relatively different from one another in terms of frequency and quantity of drinking. Data from the college student sample suggested that individuals who engaged in one of type of legal-risk behavior were more likely to engage in other types of risky behaviors. The frequency and quantity of alcohol use was related to risky behaviors, which may suggest that as individuals drink more heavily, they make poor decisions regarding risky behavior. Participants were 221 college students enrolled in a psychology course who reported using alcohol. Participants completed an online survey about their alcohol use and associated consequences at two different times, two weeks apart, to obtain data for the test-retest reliability. Among the assessments administered online were the College Alcohol Problems Scale-revised, the Frequency and Quantity of Alcohol Use, the California Personality Inventory-Socialization Scale, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale Short Form, the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire, and the LRBA. Data analysis included the use of exploratory factor analyses. Tables, references