A profile and prediction study of problem drinking among first-year medical students.

A study was conducted to determine to what extent first-year medical students are engaged in alcohol use and if specific sociocultural and self-reported behavior characteristics can be used to develop a profile and to predict potential problem drinkers. Four geographically distinct medical schools participated in the study, with a total of 341 students completing a questionnaire regarding current alcohol use and other risk-taking behaviors. Chi-square analyses, analyses of variance, and a discriminant analysis indicated that there is a high occurrence of frequent and heavy drinking among first-year medical students. Potential problem drinkers appear to be White males whose fathers are heavy drinkers. They seem prone to a nonpassive life-style and attend church infrequently. Prevention/intervention programs in medical school can utilize these results to identify high-risk individuals early in their medical career and target them for counseling.