Abstract
Hazardous alcohol use in adolescents has become a common problem. This study focuses on private peer group drinking settings as a contextual determinant of adolescent binge-drinking. In a cross-sectional survey a representative sample of 1516 15-year old students of all secondary schools in a semi-rural region in the Netherlands (Twente) participated. Adolescents visiting a private peer group setting have, compared to non-visitors, considerably higher average weekly alcohol consumption (15.2 vs. 7.4 glasses; p5.001), more frequent heavy drinking (p5.001) and drunkenness (p5.05). Differences remain highly significant after controlling for age and education level. Additional multivariate analyses reveal that the setting remains an independent predictor next to proximal determinants like attitude, social norms, and self-efficacy. Adolescents visiting private settings to meet friends and drink alcohol are at increased risk of hazardous alcohol consumption. Apparently, these non-licensed drinking locations increase accessibility and availability of alcohol for under-aged adolescents.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 314-314 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Psychology & health |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | Suppl. 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
| Event | 23rd Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society 2009: From Knowledge to Interventions - Pisa, Italy Duration: 23 Sept 2009 → 26 Sept 2009 Conference number: 23 |