Examining the influence social norms have on binge drinking behavior among adolescents and young adults Chapter uri icon

abstract

  • 2016 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Background: Binge drinking represents an important public health concern. Alcohol-related behaviors of adolescents and young adults are influenced by what they perceive as the frequency and quantity of drinking occurring among their peers (i.e., social norms). In this chapter we will (1) discuss underlying theoretical constructs associated with alcohol-related group norms, (2) outline the empirical impact of social norms on binge drinking behavior, and (3) present secondary data analyses of two distinct nationally representative datasets. Methods: We analyzed the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) to determine the extent to which social norms influence adolescent-aged and college-aged individual binge drinking behavior, above and beyond well-known confounding variables. Results: NSDUH results revealed that social norms of alcohol use (p <.001) predicted the outcome variable (binge drinking) based on Wald statistics while controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Adolescents who perceived most/all of their peers engaged in alcohol use were 4.28 times more likely (CI = 4.28, 4.30, p <.001) to report binge drinking as compared to those who perceived none/some of their peers engaged in alcohol use. Results also found that social norms of alcohol use was statistically significant ( = 0.10, p <.001) indicating that adolescent binge drinkers who perceived that most/all of their peers engaged in alcohol use increased number of days they binge drank as compared to perceiving none/some of their peers engaged in alcohol use. NCHA results indicated that as the quantity of perceived alcohol consumption increased, so did the likelihood that a college student would report binge drinking (CI = 1.181, 1.215 p <.001) above and beyond the influence of several demographic covariates. Current undergraduate drinkers perception of the quantity of alcohol consumed by peers during their last party/socialization was statically significant ( =.193, p <.001). Conclusions: Overall, social norms have a strong influence on alcohol use which may lead to increased binge drinking among adolescents and college student drinkers. Interventions with a social norms component should target adolescents and college student drinkers since (1) higher perceived social norms of use was related to binge drinking and (2) preventive programming may help these populations avoid binge drinking and related consequences.

author list (cited authors)

  • Merianos, A. L., Barry, A. E., Oluwoye, O. A., & Jackson, Z. A.

complete list of authors

  • Merianos, AL||Barry, AE||Oluwoye, OA||Jackson, ZA

Book Title

  • Alcohol Consumption: Patterns, Influences and Health Effects

publication date

  • January 2016