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Social context, perceived norms and drinking behavior in young people
D L Thombs1, B J Wolcott, L G Farkash
1Department of Adult, Counseling, Health, and Vocational Education, Kent State University, OH 44242, USA.
Journal of Substance Abuse
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Peer and social influences significantly shape adolescent and college drinking behaviors. Normative perceptions strongly correlate with impaired driving and riding with an impaired driver, while drinking intensity links to social context.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Substance Abuse Research
- Adolescent and Young Adult Health
Background:
- Understanding the factors influencing alcohol consumption and related risky behaviors among students is crucial for public health interventions.
- Previous research suggests social and normative factors play a role, but specific patterns across different age groups require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between the social context of drinking, perceived drinking norms, alcohol use intensity, and impaired driving behaviors (DWI/RWID) in middle/high school and college students.
- To differentiate the influences of social context and perceived norms on various alcohol-related outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous questionnaires were administered to 1,283 middle/high school students and 930 college students.
- Data collected included social context of drinking, perceived drinking norms, alcohol use intensity, and frequencies of driving while impaired (DWI) and riding with an impaired driver (RWID).
- Canonical correlation analyses were employed to identify patterns of association between these variables.
Main Results:
- For middle/high school students, drinking intensity was linked to social context and friends' drinking intensity. However, impaired driving (DWI) and riding with an impaired driver (RWID) were primarily associated with perceived norms.
- College students showed that both social context and perceived norms related to drinking intensity, but distinct patterns were less evident compared to younger students.
- Overall, alcohol consumption was linked to both social context and perceived norms, whereas impaired driving behaviors were more exclusively tied to normative influences.
Conclusions:
- Social context and perceived norms are significant correlates of alcohol consumption and related risky behaviors in student populations.
- Normative influences appear particularly critical for understanding impaired driving and riding with an impaired driver behaviors.
- Interventions targeting perceived norms may be effective in reducing alcohol-related harms, especially impaired driving, among adolescents and college students.
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