Personal Projects in Emerging Adulthood: Pathways to Alcohol Use and Alcohol Problems

Emerging adulthood (ages 18-25) is an important developmental stage marked by identity exploration, transitions, and instability. In particular, the first year of university is an important life transition for many emerging adults and is often associated with the development of new personal goals in addition to increased alcohol use and alcohol problems. Recent research has highlighted the value of using personal projects analysis (PPA) to examine links between personal goals and alcohol use and related-problems. However, few studies have examined a comprehensive model of alcohol use and alcohol problems using a PPA framework in conjunction with other well-established correlates of alcohol use (i.e., alcohol expectancies and drinking motives). Alcohol expectancies pertain to beliefs individuals have about how alcohol use will impact them and drinking motives are the reasons individuals choose to use alcohol. This dissertation is comprised of two studies. Study one utilizes a cross-sectional design to examine the relationship between project content (e.g., whether a project is academic, health/body, or interpersonal in nature) in conjunction with project appraisals (e.g., how important or difficult the project is) and alcohol use and alcohol problems. In addition, this study included alcohol expectancies as possible moderators of these relationships. Study two examines changes in appraisals of projects over a period of three months and the relationship between these changes and alcohol problems. In addition, drinking motives are examined as mediators of this relationship. Results indicate that both alcohol expectancies and drinking motives are important variables in considering how personal projects are related to subsequent alcohol use and alcohol problems. In addition, personal projects and their related appraisals, alcohol expectancies, and drinking motives are important targets in considering future prevention and intervention efforts to reduce alcohol use and related-problems among emerging adults in their first year of university.Ph.D