Where do College Drinkers Draw the Line? A Qualitative Study

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:  Danielle L. Terry, M.S., Lorra Garey, B.A., and Kate B. Carey, Ph.D.

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

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“Hey Everyone, I’m Drunk.” An Evaluation of Drinking-Related Twitter Chatter

Objective:

The promotion of drinking behaviors correlates with increased drinking behaviors and intent to drink, especially when peers are the promotion source. Similarly, online displays of peer drinking behaviors have been described as a potential type of peer pressure that might lead to alcohol misuse when the peers to whom individuals feel attached value such behaviors. Social media messages about drinking behaviors on Twitter (a popular social media platform among young people) are common but understudied. In response, and given that drinking alcohol is a widespread activity among young people, we examined Twitter chatter about drinking.

Method:

Tweets containing alcohol- or drinking-related keywords were collected from March 13 to April 11, 2014. We assessed a random sample (n = 5,000) of the most influential Tweets for sentiment, theme, and source.

Results:

Most alcohol-related Tweets reflected a positive sentiment toward alcohol use, with pro-alcohol Tweets outnumbering anti-alcohol Tweets by a factor of more than 10. The most common themes of pro-drinking Tweets included references to frequent or heavy drinking behaviors and wanting/needing/planning to drink alcohol. The most common sources of pro-alcohol Tweets were organic (i.e., noncommercial).

Conclusions:

Our findings highlight the need for online prevention messages about drinking to counter the strong pro-alcohol presence on Twitter. However, to enhance the impact of anti-drinking messages on Twitter, it may be prudent for such Tweets to be sent by individuals who are widely followed on Twitter and during times when heavy drinking is more likely to occur (i.e., weekends, holidays).

Purchase full article at:   http://goo.gl/kgO0kX

By:   Patricia A. Cavazos-Rehg, Ph.D.,^a,* Melissa J. Krauss, M.P.H.,^a Shaina J. Sowles, M.P.H.,^a & Laura J. Bierut, M.D.^a

Affiliations
^aDepartment of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

*Correspondence may be sent to Patricia A. Cavazos-Rehg at the Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Box 8134, St. Louis, MO 63110, or via email at:rehgp@psychiatry.wustl.edu.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2015.76.635 

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Reciprocal Relationships Over Time Between Descriptive Norms and Alcohol Use in Young Adult Sexual Minority Women

Young adulthood, roughly ages 18-25, is a period of great risk for excessive consumption of alcohol, especially among sexual minority women (SMW). Despite the substantial literature examining the relationships between social norms and behavior in general, little attention has been given to the role of descriptive norms on the drinking behaviors of sexual minorities. 

The present study had 3 aims: to compare both typical woman descriptive norms and sexual minority-specific descriptive normative perceptions among a sample of SMW, to examine reciprocal associations between sexual minority-specific descriptive norms and alcohol consumption over time, and to examine whether these reciprocal associations were moderated by sexual orientation (i.e., whether 1 identifies as lesbian or bisexual). 

A national sample of 1,057 lesbian and bisexual women between the ages of 18 and 25 was enrolled in this study. Participants completed an online survey at 4 time points that assessed the constructs of interest. 

Results indicated that SMW consistently perceived that SMW drank more than their nonsexual minority peers; that SMW-specific descriptive drinking norms and alcohol consumption influenced 1 another over time in a reciprocal, feed-forward fashion; and that these associations were not moderated by sexual orientation. 

These findings highlight the importance of considering SMW-specific norms as an important factor in predicting alcohol consumption in SMW. Results further support the development and testing of normative interventions for high-risk drinking among SMW. 

Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/06eRVT

By: Litt DM, Lewis MA, Rhew IC, Hodge KA, Kaysen DL.

  

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