Interventions less effective in addressing fraternity drinking, study finds

With fraternity parties come red Solo cups, which are not likely to be filled with innocent ice water.

Drinking at college parties may seem a normal, typically harmless behavior. But when some take the fun too far, they could become the subjects of intervention by friends and family. But new research suggests interventions may not be as effective when directed toward fraternity members.

It is no secret that alcohol is ubiquitous at college parties; in fact, according to a study conducted at the University of Rhode Island, around 40 percent of college students participate in “heavy episodic drinking.” According to the same study, “both gender and Greek involvement significantly predicted increases in alcohol use and problems over the first 2 years of college,” but ”[m]ale gender and involvement in the Greek system were associated with greater alcohol use and problems prior to college.” If fraternity and sorority members are more likely to abuse alcohol, they could also be more likely to be targets for intervention.

And as mentioned earlier, these interventions are not likely to be successful, according to a study recently published in the American Psychological Association’s Health Psychology journal. This study, which features research spanning from 1987 to 2014, found that “interventions targeting fraternity or sorority members were not successful in reducing alcohol consumption and related problems relative to controls; however, participants in these interventions did reduce the quantity consumed on specific occasions and the frequency of drinking days from pre- to post-test.”

Researchers concluded that the effectiveness of interventions toward those involved in Greek life are limited when it comes to reducing alcohol abuse behaviors.

The majority of the nearly 20 years of research was focused on fraternities, with only a few studies on sorority members. Only 18 percent of participants studied were women, which made it difficult for the researchers to apply their findings to sororities, according to an article published in the Washington Post. Even so, the study’s results led the researchers to conclude that “more robust interventions” are necessary to reduce alcohol consumption among members of Greek organizations.

Theodore Caputi, a rising College and Wharton senior, is a member of Penn Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisors, an organization that aims to reduce harm related to drug and alcohol use among the student body through student-centric programs. He agrees that substance abuse is a significant problem on college campuses.

“Among colleges it’s a tremendous health burden,” he said. “Probably the most significant health problem for college students.”

He believes the most effective solutions for alcohol abuse include an understanding of something called social norm theory, which says that a person’s perception of a behavior depends on how they think their peers view it.

“If your friends are more accepting of drinking you’re more likely to drink more,” he said.

Caputi does not believe Penn DAPA’s mission is to stop drinking entirely — he just wants to help students do so more safely.

“Our motivation is not to get people to stop drinking,” he said. “We try to find ways for students to make their own decisions regarding drugs and alcohol so that they can do it in a way that they can be safe about their own use”

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