A latent profile analysis of drinking motives among graduate student heavy drinkers

Person-centered analyses have been used to identify subgroups of drinkers based on their drinking motivations and associations with problematic drinking behaviors. Graduate students engage in heavy drinking patterns; however, no research has examined these associations between drinking motives and drinking patterns in graduate students. The current study aimed to: a) identify profiles of graduate student drinkers by endorsement of drinking motives, and b) explore associations between profiles and alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. Participants consisted of 325 graduate students, primarily white (71.3 %), 54.9 % female, with a mean age of 26 years old. A latent profile analysis revealed five distinct profiles: high levels of all motives; low levels of all motives; moderate levels of all motives; high levels of external motives; and a mixed level of motives. Negative binomial regression analyses revealed significant differences between profile membership, and both drinks per week and alcohol-related consequences. These findings may be used to inform interventions to reduce problematic drinking behaviors among graduate students by encouraging practitioners to target those with profile memberships that are associated with higher drinking levels.