The Influence of Drinking Location, Party Composition and Protective Factors on Young Women's Drinking Habits
Year: 2014
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the drinking behaviors of young women in female only drinking environments, particularly bachelorette parties, to confirm the Ryan and Deci model of self-determination.This model asserts that social context directly influences personal well-being and is mediated by connectedness and motivation.Three hypotheses were evaluated: 1) social context will have a direct effect on personal well-being, as measured by alcohol consumption, 2) the effect of social context on wellbeing will be mediated by an individual's sense of belonging, and 3) the effect of social context on well-being will be mediated by an individual's alcohol motivations and expectancies.Thus, a random sample of undergraduate, senior women (n=445) who reported that they had attended a bachelorette party in the last 12 months completed a 59 item bachelorette party survey.This survey was composed of items designed to measure the social context of the bachelorette party (i.e., location, size, number of attendees, underage drinking, etc.).Furthermore, respondents completed the Sense of Belonging Inventory -Psychological (SOBI-P) inventory of connectedness and the Alcohol Expectancies Scale.Utilizing a structural equation model, results confirmed hypotheses one and three.However, hypothesis two was not confirmed, most likely due to measurement error and sample demographics.iii Recommendations for practitioners include revising existing alcohol awareness interventions to include findings that particular party characteristics, such as the use of a safety plan, may actually contribute to increased alcohol consumption.Future studies could refine measures to accurately capture negative consequences experienced to determine if party context also influences negative consequences.
Author: Laura Ann Walaszek
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2246697066