Social Distance, Perceived Drinking by Peers, and Alcohol Use by College Students

Yanovitzky, Itzhak; Stewart, Lea P.; Lederman, Linda C.

doi:10.1207/s15327027hc1901_1

Cited by 84 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Two-Part Model of Monthly Alcohol Consumption (numbers in parenthesis are for the sample excluding alcohol-dependent students) are not predictive of alcohol consumption . Other studies have reported that proximal peers, such as friends, appear to be stronger predictors of drinking behavior than more distal peers, such as peer students (Yanovitzky et al, 2006). Indeed, in our study, while perceived approval of HED by friends is in association with both the probability of engaging in HED and HED frequency, perceived prevalence of HED among peer students is only associated with HED frequency.…”

Section: The Influence Of Social Normscontrasting

confidence: 44%

“…This variable was not retained in any of the models explaining alcohol use. University norms are related to more distal referents than are peer students and friends and proximal peers are more likely to affect behavior (Yanovitzky et al, 2006). Furthermore, while French universities all enforce anti-smoking policies, alcohol policies mostly do not exist.…”

Section: The Influence Of Social Normsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heavy Episodic Drinking and Alcohol Consumption in French Colleges: The Role of Perceived Social Norms

França

Dautzenberg

Reynaud

2009

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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Background: The effect of normative perceptions (social norms) on heavy episodic drinking (HED) behavior is well known in the U.S. college setting, but little work is available in other cultural contexts. The objective of this study is therefore to assess whether social norms of alcohol use are related to HED in France, taking account of other influential predictors.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 731 second-year university students in the Paris region to explore the role of 29 potential alcohol use risk factors. The probability of heavy episodic drinking and the frequency of HED among heavy episodic drinkers were modeled independently. Monthly alcohol consumption was also assessed.Results: Of the students, 56% overestimate peer student prevalence of HED (37% for alcohol drinking prevalence). HED frequency rises with perceived peer student prevalence of HED. Other social norms associated with HED are perceived friends' approval of HED (increasing both HED probability and HED frequency) and perceived friend prevalence of alcohol drinking (increasing HED probability only). Cannabis and tobacco use, academic discipline, gender, and the number of friends are also identified as being associated with HED.Conclusions: Overestimation of peer student prevalence is not uncommon among French university students. Furthermore, perceived peer student prevalence of HED is linked to HED frequency, even after adjusting for other correlates. Interventions correcting misperceived prevalences of HED among peer students have therefore the potential to reduce the frequency of HED in this population.

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Section: The Influence Of Social Normscontrasting

confidence: 44%

Section: The Influence Of Social Normsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heavy Episodic Drinking and Alcohol Consumption in French Colleges: The Role of Perceived Social Norms

França

Dautzenberg

Reynaud

2009

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is consistent with social identity theory (Terry and Hogg, 1996) and reference group theory (Hyman and Singer, 1968), both of which posit that proximal peers (ingroup) are more likely to be a signifi cant reference group than more distal groups (outgroup) and hence will more strongly infl uence attitudes and behaviors because of greater value placed on the ingroup. Indeed, for both injunctive and descriptive norms, literature supports a stronger prediction by close friends' norms compared with the norms of more distal peer groups (Cho, 2006;Park et al, 2009;Urberg et al, 1997;Yanovitzky et al, 2006). However, fi ndings are suggestive that the relative infl uence of descriptive versus injunctive norms may vary as a function of referent Phua, 2013).…”

Section: Social Normative Infl Uencesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Willingness to Drink as a Function of Peer Offers and Peer Norms in Early Adolescence

Jackson

Colby

et al. 2014

J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs

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ABSTRACT. Objective: The goal of this study was to explore the effect of subjective peer norms on adolescents' willingness to drink and whether this association was moderated by sensitivity to peer approval, prior alcohol use, and gender. Method: The sample was 1,023 middleschool students (52% female; 76% White; 12% Hispanic; M age = 12.22 years) enrolled in a prospective study of drinking initiation and progression. Using web-based surveys, participants reported on their willingness to drink alcohol if offered by (a) a best friend or (b) a classmate, peer norms for two referent groups (close friends and classmates), history of sipping or consuming a full drink of alcohol, and sensitivity to peer approval (extreme peer orientation). Items were re-assessed at two followups (administered 6 months apart). Results: Multilevel models revealed that measures of peer norms were signifi cantly associated with both willingness outcomes, with the greatest prediction by descriptive norms. The association between norms and willingness was magnifi ed for girls, those with limited prior experience with alcohol, and youths with low sensitivity to peer approval. Conclusions: Social norms appear to play a key role in substance use decisions and are relevant when considering more reactive behaviors that refl ect willingness to drink under conducive circumstances. Prevention programs might target individuals with higher willingness, particularly girls who perceive others to be drinking and youths who have not yet sipped alcohol but report a higher perceived prevalence of alcohol consumption among both friends and peers. (J.

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“…For example, peer use and perceptions of social approval may effect change for both smoking and alcohol use (Andrews, Tildesley, Hops, & Fuzhong, 2002;Moran et al, 2004;Myers & MacPherson, 2008;Yanovitzky, Stewart, & Lederman, 2006). Additionally, individual level variables may differentially predict transitions for those at lower levels of use than those for whom smoking and drinking is more established (Wetter et al, 2004).…”

Section: Examining the Stability Of Alcohol Tobacco Co-use -16mentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the stability of young-adult alcohol and tobacco co-use: A latent transition analysis

Schweizer

Roesch

Khoddam

et al. 2013

Addiction Research & Theory

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Although use of both alcohol and tobacco is common among college-attending young adults, little is known about the stability of co-use over time. Difficulties in studying change in these behaviors may reflect inconsistencies in how smoking in particular is categorized. The current study used longitudinal data, gathered at three time points three months apart, to examine cigarette and alcohol use profiles and the stability of profile structure and membership.Undergraduate student smokers' (N=320) past 30-day alcohol and cigarette use was assessed using the timeline followback procedure. Smoking (number of cigarettes and number of smoking days) and drinking (number of drinks and number of binges) were entered into a latent transition analysis (LTA) to identify the latent taxonomic structure within the sample, and determine the probability of movement between groups over time. A 3-profile solution emerged at each timepoint. The LTA probabilities highlighted both progression and reduction in the lower use groups.Overall, findings revealed notable changes in tobacco and alcohol use behaviors over the span of six months, affecting both profile structures and individual membership status. This suggests that among young adults both tobacco and alcohol use are temporally unstable behaviors, particularly among those using at lower levels.

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Social Distance, Perceived Drinking by Peers, and Alcohol Use by College Students

Cited by 84 publications

References 32 publications

Heavy Episodic Drinking and Alcohol Consumption in French Colleges: The Role of Perceived Social Norms

Heavy Episodic Drinking and Alcohol Consumption in French Colleges: The Role of Perceived Social Norms

Willingness to Drink as a Function of Peer Offers and Peer Norms in Early Adolescence

Examining the stability of young-adult alcohol and tobacco co-use: A latent transition analysis

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