Adolescents’ perceptions of alcohol portrayals in the media and their impact on cognitions and behaviors.

Abstract

Objective: Exposure to alcohol in the media is pervasive and may influence adolescents' perceptions and use of alcohol. The purpose of this study was to better understand how adolescents perceive alcohol-related content in both entertainment and social media, with a focus on the valence of portrayals (i.e., positive, negative) and impacts on cognitions and behaviors. Method: Participants were 40 high school students (60% female). Nine focus groups were conducted via videoconferencing, stratified by grade (9th/10th, 11th/12th) and gender. Transcripts were analyzed via template-style thematic analyses to identify themes. Results: Six themes were developed, including (a) some portrayals of alcohol may increase likelihood of using alcohol, (b) some portrayals of alcohol in the media can discourage drinking, (c) sometimes truly negative consequences of alcohol are portrayed positively or downplayed, (d) media portrayals of alcohol are perceived to be based in reality but are at times exaggerated, (e) adolescent and adult alcohol use is portrayed differently in entertainment media, and (f ) the extent to which adolescents are influenced by the media may depend on their preexisting attitudes, beliefs, and education. Conclusions: Adolescents have awareness of media portrayals of alcohol, both positive and negative, and their associated impacts. Findings highlight the need for much more work to understand the conditions under which, and for whom, exposure to different types of positive portrayals of alcohol in the media translate into positive expectancies about alcohol or drinking motives. Such work may ultimately inform intervention targets to reduce early initiation and/or risky drinking among adolescents. Public Health Significance StatementThe study indicates that adolescents have extensive awareness of alcohol portrayals in both entertainment and social media and perceive that such portrayals impact adolescents' alcohol use behavior, social norms related to alcohol use, and expected effects of alcohol. Despite common exposure to media portrayals of alcohol, adolescents noted individual differences in perceptions of alcohol exposures as well as platform-specific differences. Knowing adolescents are very aware of alcohol portrayals in the media suggests the importance of countering alcohol-promoting content, ideally within platforms where it is encountered, as a tool to lower positive drinking expectancies and early drinking initiation.

A qualitative analysis of adolescents' perspectives on peer and influencer alcohol‐related posts on social media

“…Consented individuals were then asked to complete a brief survey on Qualtrics and scheduled to attend a virtual focus group. Complete consent and recruitment procedures are detailed by Merrill and colleagues [42].…”