Adolescent perceptions of college student drinking

Objective: To extend knowledge about perceived drinking norms by assessing perceptions of college student drinking in a sample of 7th-to 12th-graders. Methods: Anonymous questionnaire was administered to 2,017 adolescents in two Ohio school districts. Results: By seventh grade, 89.6% of the students had formed normative perceptions of collegiate drinking. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that perceptions of collegiate drinking have substantial, independent relationships not only with alcohol use intensity and drinking onset, but also with indicators of tobacco and other drug use as well. Conclusions: Exaggerated perceptions of college student drinking are psychosocial markers of substance use in 7th-to 12th-graders.