An experimental study on the effects of peer drinking norms on adolescents' drinker prototypes

Abstract

Background Adolescents form impressions about the type of peers who drink (i.e., drinker prototypes). The evaluation of, and perceived similarity to these prototypes are related to adolescents’ drinking. Peer drinking norms play an important role in the formation of prototypes. We experimentally examined whether manipulation of peer norms changed the evaluation of and perceived similarity to drinker prototypes and whether these changes were moderated by peers’ popularity. Methods In a pre-test, we assessed heavy drinker, moderate drinker and abstainer prototypes, drinking behaviors and peer-perceived popularity among 599 adolescents. Additionally, 88 boys from this sample participated in a simulated chat room, in which they interacted with peers from school. These peers were in fact pre-programmed e-confederates, who were either popular or unpopular and who communicated either pro-alcohol or anti-alcohol norms. After the chat room interaction we assessed participants’ drinker prototypes. Results Participants exposed to anti-alcohol norms were more negative about, and perceived themselves as less similar to heavy drinker prototypes, than participants exposed to pro-alcohol norms. We found no effects of peer norms on moderate drinker and abstainer prototypes. Effects were not moderated by peers’ popularity. We did find a main effect of popularity on perceived similarity to all prototypes. This indicated that participants rated themselves as more similar to heavy and moderate drinker prototypes and less similar to abstainer prototypes when they interacted with unpopular peers than with popular peers. Conclusions Exposure to anti-alcohol norms of peers leads adolescents to form more negative prototypes of the heavy drinker. This could be an important finding for prevention and intervention programs aimed to reduce alcohol consumption among adolescents.

Prototype Willingness Model Drinking Cognitions Mediate Personalized Normative Feedback Efficacy

“…The PWM was designed to address the social nature of adolescent or young adult risk behaviors by acknowledging that risk behaviors are often reactions to risk-conducive environments one may encounter rather than intentionally planned behaviors (Gibbons et al 2003). The social reaction pathway of the PWM pertains to unplanned behaviors, which are posited to follow directly from behavioral willingness, which varies in part as a function of descriptive norms, but also varies according to prototypes (Blanton et al 1997; Gerrard et al 2008; Lewis et al 2016; Litt and Lewis 2016; Litt and Stock 2011; Pomery et al 2005; Teunissen et al 2014). Willingness to drink reflects openness to opportunity to drink in situations that are conducive to that behavior.…”

Cool or Fool? The Association Between Drinker Prototypes and Alcohol Consumption Using Multiple Time-Point Diary Assessments in Adolescent Males

“…Interventions may therefore be aimed specifically at these drinker prototypes, to reduce adolescents' alcohol use. Previous research indicated that drinker prototypes are malleable (Gerrard et al, 2006;Litt & Stock, 2011;Teunissen et al, 2012;Teunissen et al, 2014), and that these adaptations in drinker prototypes can affect drinking behavior (Gerrard et al, 2006;Teunissen et al, 2012). Intervention programs could include information revealing that adolescents generally attribute negative characteristics to the type of peer that drinks heavily and positive characteristics to the type of peer that abstains.…”

“…Again, they could give their answer on a fivepoint scale, ranging from not at all to very similar. We asked these same two questions about peers who drink moderately and peers who drink heavily (Rivis et al, 2006;Rivis, Sheeran, & Armitage, 2011;Rivis & Sheeran, 2013;Teunissen et al, 2014). We provided no definition of moderate and heavy drinking, to prevent enforcing consumption levels to these prototypes that may not match participants' vision of these prototypes (Van Lettow et al, 2013).…”

“…Earlier studies predominantly focused on (heavy) drinker or abstainer prototypes. However, according to later findings, individuals also form stereotypic perceptions of moderate or social drinkers (Spijkerman et al, 2010;Teunissen et al, 2014;Van Lettow et al, 2012;Van Lettow, De Vries, Burdorf, Norman, & Van Empelen, 2013). The association between moderate or social drinker prototypes and alcohol use has only been studied in young adults but not yet in adolescents (Spijkerman et al, 2010;Van Lettow et al, 2013;Van Lettow, De Vries, Burdorf, Conner, & Van Empelen, 2014).…”

A New Participant in the Pathogenesis of Alcoholic Gastritis: Pyroptosis

“…The consumption of ethanol is related to approximately 60 different types of diseases [1][2][3][4]. It is well known that alcohol abuse may cause acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis, and long-term drinking could cause stomach disorders and chronic atrophic gastritis [5][6][7].…”