How Strong is the “Fake ID Effect?” An Examination using Propensity Score Matching in Two Samples

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Underage students who obtain and use false identification are at risk for negative outcomes. However, it is currently unclear how uniquely the fake ID itself serves as a vehicle to subsequent harm (i.e., the “fake ID effect”) over and above general and trait-related risk factors. METHODS: In order to investigate whether the “fake ID effect” would hold after accounting for phenotypic risk, we utilized propensity score matching (PSM) in a cross-sectional sample of n=2,349 students, and a longitudinal replication sample of n=3,720 undergraduates. Individuals with a fake ID were matched with individuals without a fake ID, in terms of a number of trait-based and social risk factors. These matched groups were then compared on five problematic outcomes. RESULTS: Findings showed that “fake ID effects” were substantially—though not fully—diminished following PSM. The “fake ID effect” remained strongest for alcohol-related arrests. This may relate to issues of enforcement and students’ willingness to engage in deviant behavior with a fake ID, or it may be a function of combined processes. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings suggest that interventions should not only be aimed at reducing fake ID-related alcohol access specifically, but should also be aimed more generally towards at-risk youths’ access to alcohol.

Authors

• John Stogner, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Julia Martinez, Colgate University

• Bryan Miller, Georgia Southern University