Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

Criminal Justice and Criminology

Date of Award

5-2014

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Gregory Rocheleau

Committee Members

Dennis Hamm, John Whitehead

Abstract

Heavy drinking behaviors have been observed in relation to fraternity and sorority membership. Some have argued that this relationship persists as a result of the drinking-conducive social environments of Greek organizations, but others have suggested that this relationship may be spurious. Using data from The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (n = 10,904) the link between Greek affiliation, alcohol consumption, and parental influence was examined through the lens of social learning theory. It was hypothesized that members of Greek organizations would report higher levels of drinking compared to others and that the inclusion of the variable of parental influence would effectively render this relationship spurious. The results reveal a strong relationship between Greek affiliation and drinking behaviors, but parental influence failed to sufficiently account for this relationship.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

Included in

Criminology Commons

Share

COinS