Dataset Information

Young adult veteran perceptions of peers' drinking behavior and attitudes.

ABSTRACT: Social norms-based interventions have shown promise in reducing drinking behavior and the resulting consequences in young adults. Although most research has focused on young civilians (i.e., college students), some studies have investigated social norms-based interventions with active-duty military and veteran samples. Yet, research has not yet determined how to maximize the effectiveness of social norms-based interventions in this heavy-drinking population. As an initial step toward this goal, the current study utilized a community sample of 1,023 young adult veterans to examine (a) whether veteran perceptions of the drinking behavior of their veteran peers differ from their perceptions of civilian drinking behavior, (b) whether perceptions of specific veteran groups differ from the actual drinking behavior of veterans within those groups, (c) what levels of specificity in reference groups (same-gender civilians, same-branch veterans, same-gender veterans, or same-branch-and-gender veterans) are most strongly associated with veterans' own drinking, and (d) whether perceptions about others' attitudes toward drinking also contribute independently of perceived behavioral norms to veteran drinking. Findings indicated that participants perceived that other veterans drank more than civilians and that veteran groups drank more than veterans in the sample actually drank. Veteran-specific perceived behavioral norms were similar in their associations with drinking outcomes, whereas same-gender civilian perceived behavioral norms exhibited little or no associations with drinking. Veteran-specific perceived attitudinal norms exhibited little or no association with drinking behavior after controlling for perceived behavioral norms. These findings can be used to inform the development of social norms interventions for young adult veterans.

SUBMITTER: Pedersen ER

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4752419 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Young adult veteran perceptions of peers' drinking behavior and attitudes.

Pedersen Eric R ER Marshall Grant N GN Schell Terry L TL Neighbors Clayton C

Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors 20150928 1

Social norms-based interventions have shown promise in reducing drinking behavior and the resulting consequences in young adults. Although most research has focused on young civilians (i.e., college students), some studies have investigated social norms-based interventions with active-duty military and veteran samples. Yet, research has not yet determined how to maximize the effectiveness of social norms-based interventions in this heavy-drinking population. As an initial step toward this goal, ...[more]

PMID: 26415056

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundPrescription drug misuse is an escalating public health problem that is prevalent among college students. Various factors, such as sex, age, race, mental health conditions, and fraternity and sorority membership, increase the risk for prescription drug misuse. Peer influences may also pose significant risks for starting prescription drug misuse, because peers are the primary source of misused prescription drugs among college students.ObjectivesTo examine college students' beliefs about prescription drug misuse among their peers and to understand their beliefs about the available and potential intervention efforts to reduce prescription drug misuse.MethodWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of 312 college students aged 18 to 30 years who were enrolled in a large midwestern US university. The survey included questions about the responders' demographic characteristics, beliefs, and perceptions regarding prescription drug misuse among their peers and potential reduction programs for prescription drug misuse.ResultsThe respondents' mean age was 21 years, and most (65%) respondents were women. A majority (90%) of the respondents were enrolled in the university as full-time students. More than 60% of the respondents reported knowing someone with prescription drug misuse in the past 12 months. Fraternity or sorority members were more likely to report peer prescription drug misuse than nonmembers (83% vs 60%, respectively; P = .017). Stimulants were the most misused drug class, accounting for 75% of all reported peer prescription drug misuse. Approximately 60% of the misused prescription drugs were sourced from peers, which included friends, roommates, and classmates. A total of 73% of respondents said that prescription drug misuse was a problem among college students and 67% agreed that interventions were needed to reduce prescription drug misuse. The perceived need for interventions varied by peer prescription drug misuse. A total of 90% of students whose peers did not misuse prescription drugs said that interventions were needed, but only 67% of those with peer prescription drug misuse thought that interventions were needed.ConclusionOur findings indicate that peer prescription drug misuse is very common among college students, and the most misused drug class is stimulants. Survey respondents perceived that the current interventions used to address prescription drug misuse are not very effective or may not be targeting the right population. Peer prescription drug misuse influences college students' perceptions about the risks and harms of prescription drug misuse, as well as the need for interventions.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Previous research on public stigma towards people with mental disorders has mostly targeted adult samples and focused on depression, schizophrenia or mental disorders in general. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate predictors of stigmatizing attitudes towards different mental disorders (including less researched ones) in a representative sample of adolescents and young adults. METHODS:Data from the Swiss Youth Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Survey were used (analytical sample: n = 4,932). Each participant was randomly presented with one of five vignettes (depression; alcohol abuse; depression and alcohol abuse combined; schizophrenia; social anxiety). The structure of stigmatizing attitudes was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Regression models, implemented within a structural equation framework, were used to study predictors for the identified latent variables. RESULTS:A three-factor model for stigmatizing attitudes-consisting of 'dangerous/unpredictable', 'weak-no-sick', and 'social distance' factors-best fitted the data. Female gender was associated with less stigmatizing attitudes. Associations in opposite directions with different latent factors were found for educational and migration background. Exposure to mental disorders (being personally affected, personally having received professional help or knowing someone close who has received treatment for a mental disorder) was either not or was negatively associated with stigmatizing attitudes. In contrast, current mental health symptoms (heightened levels of psychological distress, problematic alcohol use) were generally not or were positively associated with stigmatizing attitudes. Even though the included predictors had some predictive value, the variance explained by the models was rather small (the adjusted R2 varied between 0.03 and 0.26). CONCLUSIONS:The current study indicates that contact with someone who has received treatment for a mental disorder might be an important component of programs aiming to decrease stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental disorders, since this exposure variable predicted lower levels of stigmatizing attitudes. Furthermore, the findings suggest that target-group interventions for specific subgroups need to be considered, as the process leading to stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental disorders appears to differ between specific sociodemographic subgroups.

Dataset Information

Young adult veteran perceptions of peers' drinking behavior and attitudes.

Publications

Young adult veteran perceptions of peers' drinking behavior and attitudes.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets