Negative Experiences of Non-Drinking College Students in Great Britain: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

Research relating to alcohol use amongst university students primarily examines the effects of binge drinking. Researchers rarely focus on a range of drinking styles including light or non-drinking. This study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of female, first year UK undergraduates, who do not drink alcohol. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants. Narratives were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; by Smith and Osborn (Sage 51-80, 2003). Three superordinate themes were identified: “managing the feeling that you don’t belong” highlights the importance of managing social interactions as a non-drinker; “experiencing social exclusion” recognises the impact on social bonding as a result of insufficient socialising opportunities; and “experiencing peer pressure and social stigma” highlights the scrutiny and labelling participants endured. These findings provide an understanding of some of the difficulties experienced by these undergraduates as a result of their non-drinking status. Implications of this research are discussed and areas for future research are outlined.

Peer pressure and alcohol consumption in adults living in the UK: a systematic qualitative review

“…I left, and comforted another fresher who didn't wish to take part." Similar experiences were reported in Jacobs et al [34] study of non-drinking students, 'All eight participants interviewed expressed that interactions with drinking students were often unpleasant [ …] Seven out of eight students subject to hurtful comments either to their face, or behind their backs.' However, this aggressive form of peer pressure was not exclusive to university students, and was also reported in Emslie et al's [40] study of individuals in mid-life.…”

“…The 13 included studies were published between 2004 and 2018. Seven of the studies exclusively focused on university students [30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Not all of these studies where at least 50% of participants were situated within the UK during exposure to peer pressure.…”

“…Of the seven studies examining university students, the universities were in the following locations: the south of England [32]; East Midlands [34]; West Midlands [35]; North West England [36]; and North England [31]. In addition, one study reported the university was in England [33], and one study recruited from three universities in England and Wales [30].…”

“…The majority of studies (ten out of 13) included both male and female participants. Two studies examined females only [31,34], and one males only [41]. Four studies examined light or non-drinkers [33,34,37,38], the remaining nine studies included participants with a range of drinking profiles.…”

“…Jacobs et al [34] describe how one participant was unable to resist peer pressure, leading her to drink alcohol even though she was against doing so. "They'd be like, you really do want to though don't you, they'd pour a drink out for me, sort of say oh just have a drink, [ …] well the second time I went out I sort of caved into that."…”