1 Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
2 Department of Psychiatry and Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

Background: Alcohol use and problems increase during adolescence and peak in early adulthood. Tension reduction theory points to anxiety sensitivity as a risk factor for alcohol misuse, and the theory of planned behavior suggests that injunctive norms (i.e., perceived approval of risky drinking) may be central to this risk trajectory.

Methods: This study utilized a longitudinal person-centered approach to identify unique patterns of injunctive norms (by three referent groups: typical students, friends, and parents) among 223 college students (M_age = 18.82, 62.2% women).

Results: Latent profile analyses revealed three distinct injunctive norm profiles, which proved to be identical across the three measurement points. These profiles were characterized by mixed levels of perceived approval (high typical students, neutral friends, low parents; Mixed Tolerance profile), low levels of perceived approval (low typical students, friends, parents; Low Tolerance profile), and high levels of perceived approval (high typical students and friends, neutral parents; High Tolerance profile). Student membership in these profiles was moderate to highly stable over time. A higher level of anxiety sensitivity was associated with membership in profiles characterized by high perceived approval of risky drinking. The Mixed Tolerance profile was associated with the least amount of alcohol misuse and problems (protective), the Low Tolerance profile was associated with some risk, and the High Tolerance profile was associated with the most risk.

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate the nature and stability of injunctive norm profiles and offer new insight into the role of injunctive norm topologies in Alcohol-Related Social Risk (AS-risk) for young adult alcohol misuse and related problems.