Publication year
2012Author(s)
Number of pages
11 p.
Source
Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research, 36, 7, (2012), pp. 1257-1267ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor
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Organization
SW OZ BSI OGG
SW OW PWO [owi]
Journal title
Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research
Volume
vol. 36
Issue
iss. 7
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 1257
Page end
p. 1267
Subject
Developmental PsychopathologyAbstract
Background Research on adolescent development suggests that peer influence may play a key role in explaining adolescents willingness to drink, an important predictor of drinking initiation. However, experiments that thoroughly examine these peer influence effects are scarce. This study experimentally examined whether adolescents adapted their willingness to drink when confronted with the pro-alcohol and anti-alcohol norms of peers in a chat room session and whether these effects were moderated by the social status of peers. Methods We collected survey data on drinking behavior, social status, and willingness to drink among five hundred thirty-two 14- to 15-year-olds. Of this sample, 74 boys participated in a simulated Internet chat room session in which participants were confronted with preprogrammed pro-alcohol or anti-alcohol norms of grade-mates which were in fact preprogrammed e-confederates. Accordingly, we tested whether participants adapted their willingness to drink to the norms of these grade-mates. To test whether adaptations in participants willingness to drink would depend on grade-mates social status, we manipulated their level of popularity. Results The results indicated that adolescents adapted their willingness to drink substantially to the pro-alcohol (i.e., more willing to drink) as well as anti-alcohol (i.e., less willing to drink) norms of these peers. Adolescents were more influenced by high-status than low-status peers. Interestingly, the anti-alcohol norms of the popular peers seemed most influential in that adolescents were less willing to drink when they were confronted with the anti-alcohol norms of popular peers. Additionally, the adolescents internalized these anti-alcohol norms. Conclusions This study gives more insight into peer influence processes that encourage or discourage alcohol use. These results could be fundamental for the development of prevention and intervention programs to reduce alcohol use among the adolescents.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [238430]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [29483]
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