Alcohol use among college
students has received nationwide recognition as a public health concern. The
primary aim of this study was to explore students’ opinions of when drinking
“crosses the line” from acceptable to unacceptable. This study used qualitative
methods to: (a) examine unappealing aspects of drinking by relationship type
(potential dating partner, friend, self), and (b) determine whether this
differs by gender. Seventy-eight interviews were conducted with college
students who violated campus-alcohol policy. The semi-structured interview
included open-ended questions related to reactions to other’s excessive
drinking. Qualitative analyses revealed that college males and females find
lack of control as unappealing, including lack of physical, verbal, and sexual
control. More females than males indicated negative perceptions of same-sex
friends and self who displayed poor sexual control. Future research might also
consider integration of themes in measures of negative expectancies and consequences
to more accurately capture unappealing aspects of college drinking behavior.
…This study revealed three primary themes regarding college
students’ negative reactions to excessive drinking. These included (a) negative
reactions to a lack of control, (b) female participant’s dislike of
uncontrolled sexual behavior by self and others, and (c) alcohol-induced
aggression. First, the majority of male and female participants found behaviors
that indicated a lack of general control (e.g., being “sloppy,” stumbling,
impaired consciousness, etc.) as unappealing in a potential dating partner, in
same-sex friends, and in oneself...
A second theme emerging from these qualitative
interviews related to how females in the sample viewed a lack of sexual control
by same-sex friends or themselves such as engaging unplanned sexual behavior,
and/or betraying a friend by having relations with his/her romantic partner.
Negative perceptions of casual or spontaneous sexual encounters are consistent
with data exploring perceptions of casual sexual encounters. Research examining
gender differences in sex or “hook-ups” among young adults suggests that
females are less likely to report the experience as positive compared to men (Owen, Rhoades, Stanley, &
Fincham, 2010). Qualitative data suggest that women are aware of a
double standard and believe that other women who engage in casual sex are
disrespected and stigmatized (Bradshaw, Kahn, & Saville, 2010; Paul, 2006)...
Third, both male and female students noted that
alcohol-induced aggression was a behavior that “crossed the line.” Females
identified that dating partners who were sexual aggressive or “pushy” were
unattractive, and males indicated that they would lose respect for a same-sex
friend who acted in a sexually aggressive way. Acts of sexual aggression and
assault are most prevalent among women ages 16–24 years, with an estimated 38%
of women reporting some form of sexual violence during the previous academic year
(Nasta, et al., 2005).
Furthermore, an estimated 39–50% sexual assault victims and 50% of perpetrators
report using alcohol at the time of the assault (Abbey, Zawacki, Buck, Clinton, & McAuslan, 2001; Gross, Winslett, Roberts, & Gohm,
2006). More recent estimates have suggested that 96% of drug-related
assaults involved use of alcohol prior to assault (Lawyer, Resnick, Bakanic,
Burkett, & Kilpatrick, 2010). Alcohol use and sexual assault
often occur in conjunction with each other; both genders reported prohibitions
related to alcohol-induced aggression. Reinforcing these prohibitions may aid
in prevention efforts that target early warning signs and ways to avoid
situations likely to lead to aggressive behavior…
Full article at: http://goo.gl/Xnpcyc
By:
Center for Health
and Behavior, Syracuse University
Please Address Correspondence To: Danielle K. Seigers or
Kate B. Carey, Department of Psychology, Center for Health and Behavior,
Syracuse University, 430 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244-2340, Email: ude.rys@regieskd, Email: ude.rys@yeracbk,
Phone: 315-443-2877, Fax: 315-443-4123
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv insight
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