Alcohol use is common among college students and often linked to negative consequences. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) can reduce alcohol use and related harms. This study examined whether dating/sexual PBS provide unique protective effects beyond alcohol PBS. We tested three hypotheses: (1) dating/sexual PBS would predict fewer drinks at follow up, controlling for alcohol PBS; (2) dating/sexual PBS would predict fewer alcohol-related consequences at follow up, controlling for alcohol PBS; and (3) drinks per week would moderate the association between dating/sexual PBS and consequences, with stronger protection for heavier drinkers. Participants (n = 324; 78.1% female, Mage = 19.2, SD = 2.2, 71.3% White) completed baseline and 1-month follow-up surveys measuring alcohol PBS, dating/sexual PBS, typical drinks per week, and alcohol-related consequences. Baseline dating/sexual PBS did not predict follow-up drinks per week after controlling for alcohol PBS, logistic regression χ²(7) = 100.59, Cragg-Uhler R² = .281. However, dating/sexual PBS predicted fewer follow-up alcohol-related consequences (incident rate ratios IRR = 0.73, p = .022), with drinks per week moderating this effect. Contrary to expectation, dating/sexual PBS were protective at low levels of drinking (IRR = 0.57, p = .002) but not at high levels (IRR = 0.88, p = .391). Dating/sexual PBS reduce alcohol-related consequences over 1-month, particularly among students with low to average drinking levels. These findings emphasize the importance of both alcohol-specific and dating/sexual PBS in college alcohol risk reduction interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Peterson et al. (2026) studied this question.