Citation

Yarnell LM, Brown HS, Pasch KE, Perry CL, Komro KA. Am. J. Health Behav. 2013; 37(1): 70-79.

Affiliation

University of Southern California, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, PNG Publications)

DOI

10.5993/AJHB.37.1.8

PMID

22943103

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate which points of the middle-school drinking distribution are the most influential in the social contagion of drinking across the middle-school years, in order to identify potential social multipliers. METHODS: We measured drinking intentions and behaviors by gender, school, and grade among urban middle-school students who participated in Project Northland Chicago in a longitudinal cohort design. RESULTS: Individual drinking behaviors were consistently influenced by extreme (80(th) percentile) drinking intentions and behaviors. This effect was mediated through normal or average levels of drinking, over time. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions can target extreme drinkers as the influential persons in middle-school grades.

Language: en