Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the directional relationship between college students' level of grit, personal growth initiative, cognitive reappraisal emotion regulation strategy, and their level of harmful alcohol consumption and related problems. This study tested the theoretical structure model that college students' (N = 356) level of grit (as measured by the Grit Short Scale [Grit-S; Duckworth & Quinn, 2009]), personal growth initiative (PGI; as measured by the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II [PGIS-II; Robitschek et al., 2012]), and cognitive reappraisal emotion regulation strategy (as measured by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire [ERQ; Gross & John, 2003]) contribute to decreased hazardous alcohol consumption and related consequences (as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test [AUDIT]; Saunders et al., 1993). Specifically, the researcher tested the theorized directional relationship that college students with (a) high level of grit, (b) high levels of personal growth initiative, and (c) high level of cognitive reappraisal ER strategy would have low levels of alcohol consumption and related problems. The results of the structural equation model (SEM) analyses identified that college students' high grit scores had a strong negative relationship with their alcohol consumption and related problems scores. While college students' PGI and alcohol consumption and related problem had a positive relationship with a large effect size. Implications from the findings of this investigation include (a) increased understanding of the contribution of college students' grit, personal growth initiative, and cognitive reappraisal scores to their levels of harmful alcohol use and related problems; (b) greater knowledge relating to the constructs of interesting to inform counselors, counselor educators and researchers; and (c) more evidence of validity and reliability for the AUDIT, Grit-S, PGIS-II, and ERQ scores with college students.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2021

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Lambie, Glenn

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Counselor Education and School Psychology

Degree Program

Education; Counselor Education

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008660;DP0025391

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0025391

Language

English

Release Date

August 2021

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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