Table 1. Demographic and Alcohol Use Characteristics of Study Participants.
| Drinkers | Heavy drinkers (n=35), M (SD) or % | Light drinkers (n=56), M (SD) or % | t-test or χ2 test | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 18.97 (0.45) | 18.80 (0.97) | 1.120 | NS |
| Race (% Caucasian) | 80 | 69.2 | 2.63 | NS |
| Ethnicity (% Hispanic) | 8.5 | 12.5 | 0.50 | NS |
| Sex (% male) | 34.2 | 55.3 | 3.03 | NS |
| Past depressive/anxiety disorder | 22% | 10% | 5.35 | 0.02 |
| Lifetime drinks | 91.42 (93.50) | 31.39 (72.98) | 3.421 | 0.0009 |
| Number of weeks of drinking, past 6 months | 14.32 (7.65) | 2.23 (3.12) | 10.61 | 0.0001 |
| Drinking (days per week), past 6 months | 3.57 (1.57) | 1.08 (1.35) | 7.98 | 0.0001 |
| Drinks (per day), past 6 months | 10.27 (6.60) | 2.85 (4.04) | 7.32 | 0.0001 |
| Current alcohol dependence | 45.71% | 1.78% | 49.06 | 0.0001 |
| Current alcohol abuse | 91.42% | None | ||
| Number of memory blackouts | 2.25 (5.4) | 0.21 (0.75) | 2.74 | 0.007 |
| Alcoholism family history | 0.34 (0.76) | 0.21 (0.37) | 1.06 | NS |
| Tobacco use | 13% | 14.28% | 0.02 | NS |
| Zuckerman SSS | 21.84 (6.1) | 18.08 (6.5) | 2.59 | 0.01 |
| BAS | 42.74 (4.1) | 38.79 (4.8) | 3.81 | 0.0003 |
| BIS | 19.93 (4.8) | 20.16 (3.98) | 0.230 | NS |
| BART (average pumps adjusted) | 14.28 (5.6) | 16.52 (6.2) | 1.64 | NS |
| BIS-11 | 65.03 (2.2) | 59.79 (1.4) | 2.07 | 0.04 |
Abbreviations: BART, Balloon Analog Risk Task; BAS, Behavioral Activation System; BIS, Behavioral Inhibition System; BIS-11, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale; M, mean; NS, nonsignficant; SD, standard deviation; Zuckerman SSS, Sensation Seeking Scale.
Groups did not differ on measures of age, sex, race, or family history of alcoholism, but they differed on drinking behavior in the past 30 days or 6 months and some impulsivity-related and anxiety measures.