Protective Behavioral Strategy Subtypes as Moderators of the Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems

Protective behavioral strategy (or drinking control strategy) use is widely regarded as an effective tool for reducing negative consequences from consuming alcohol (Martens et al., 2005; Martens et al., 2008). Research has shown that frequent protective behavioral strategy use buffers the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems (Borden et al., 2011), and that gender moderates this effect (Benton et al., 2004); however. The present research was used to expand on previous research showing that protective behavioral strategy use can buffer the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Further, the assessment of protective behavioral strategy use across gender was also evaluated. Three hundred and thirteen undergraduate college students were sampled to participate in this study. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that gender differences exist in the measurement of protective behavioral strategy use with a popular measure of the construct. Regression analysis showed that a certain type of protective behavioral strategies moderates the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Further, there was no effect of gender on the moderating effect. The results of the present study improve the understanding of the relationship between protective behavioral strategy use and alcohol-related problems and can ultimately improve information for prevention efforts.