|
Affiliation
|
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. |
|
Abstract
|
INTRODUCTION: Currently, there has been little research on peer drinking norms with non-English speaking college populations. Using a Chinese college student sample, the present study investigated perceived peer norms and their associations with individual alcohol-related behaviors.
METHODS: Past six-month drinkers (n = 436, 50% men, mean age = 20.49) recruited from one college in China took an anonymous paper-and-pencil survey. To examine the differences in alcohol-related behaviors among groups, one-way repeated measures analysis of variance and chi-square tests were conducted. To investigate the associations between perceived peer norms and individual alcohol-related behaviors, sequential linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted.
RESULTS: There were overall mean differences in alcohol use among participants, perceived best friends, and perceived average student for both men (F (1.98, 421.06) = 13.12, p < .001) and women (F (1.89, 399.70) = 5.79, p < .01). The proportion of best friends perceived as having had heavy episodic drinking was higher than that of participants who had had heavy episodic drinking (χ2 (1, N = 415) = 61.85, p < .001). So was the proportion of the average student perceived as having had heavy episodic drinking (χ2 (1, N = 414) = 68.17, p < .001). After controlling for demographic variables, perceived peer alcohol use explained 17% of the variance in individual alcohol use; perceived peer heavy episodic drinking contributed to 2.6 to 3.6 times higher odds of participants' reporting heavy episodic drinking.
CONCLUSIONS: Replication research is needed to inform social norms interventions for Chinese college students.
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Language: en |