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Drinking Motives Among 15-16-Year-Old School-Going Students in 16 European Countries
Louise Pigeaud1, Ingeborg Rossow2, Karin Monshouwer3
1Department of Pediatrics, Reinier de Graaf Hospital, Delft, The Netherlands; Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Summary
Adolescent drinking motives vary across Europe, with enhancement and social reasons most common. Cultures with higher alcohol intoxication rates show stronger links to these motives.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- Social Psychology
- Cross-Cultural Studies
Background:
- Understanding adolescent drinking motives is key to addressing alcohol consumption patterns.
- Previous research has highlighted the social and psychological factors influencing underage drinking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare drinking motives among 15-16-year-old adolescents across 16 European countries.
- To identify similarities and differences in the reasons for alcohol consumption in a large, diverse adolescent population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD).
- Analyzed responses from 52,141 school-going students aged 15-16 across 16 European nations.
- Assessed drinking motives within the past 12 months through a series of targeted questions.
Main Results:
- Over 75% of participants reported lifetime alcohol consumption; 65.8% consumed alcohol in the past year.
- Three primary drinking motive groups emerged: enhancement/social, coping, and conformity.
- Enhancement and social motives were the most frequently reported reasons for drinking across all participating countries.
Conclusions:
- This study represents the largest investigation into adolescent drinking motives across Europe to date.
- A positive correlation exists between alcohol intoxication prevalence and enhancement/social motives at an aggregate level.
- Findings suggest that cultures with higher rates of alcohol intoxication may exhibit a stronger prevalence of enhancement and social drinking motives among adolescents.
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