Drinking and swimming around waterways: The role of alcohol, sensation-seeking, peer influence and risk in young people

Abstract

The role of individual and sociocultural factors contributing to drowning risk for young adults is complex and poorly understood. This study examined the relationship between behaviour in and around waterways and: 1) alcohol consumption; 2) resistance to peer influence; 3) sensation-seeking; 4) perception of risk among people aged 15–24 in Western Australia. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted at three time-points with a convenience sample. Predictor variables included: Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test Consumption (AUDIT_C); Resistance to Peer Influence; Brief Sensation Seeking scale; Benthin’s Perception of risk. Pearson chi-squared tests determined the association between demographic and predictor variables. Logistic regression explored influence of potential predictor variables on behaviour in and around water. The final sample (n = 730) participants, consisted of females (n = 537, 74.5%), metropolitan dwelling (n = 616, 84.4%), and attended university (n = 410, 56.9%). Significant associations were found for those who swum after drinking alcohol compared with those that had not by age, gender, education. For every 1-unit increase in AUDIT-C participants were 60% more likely to swim after drinking (OR 95% CI 1.60 1.44–1.78). Participants who considered an adverse event serious were 15% less likely to have swum after drinking alcohol (OR 0.85 95% CI 0.73–0.99). The complex relationship between social participation in activities in and around waterways, higher drowning rates, propensity for risk, and the meaning young adults attach to risk locations and practices present unique challenges for drowning prevention research. Findings should be used to improve the awareness and education components of future youth water safety strategies in high-income settings.

Effects of hazards and sensation‐seeking on intermediate swimming college students’ hazard perceptions

“…Previous research has shown that adolescents with high levels of sensation-seeking experience an increase in prefrontal and para-prefrontal dopamine secretion. This makes them more susceptible to novel, impulsive, and potentially risky impulses (Zhang et al, 2016(Zhang et al, , 2017 and are more likely to disregard the potential consequences of hazards (Leavy et al, 2022). Sensation-seeking predicts negative and positive risk-taking, whereas extroversion and openness are predominantly related to positive risk-taking (Patterson et al, 2023).…”

Young people's alcohol use in and around water: A scoping review of the literature

“…The use of alcohol around water is influenced by the wider environment, including social norms [10], peer influence [2,6] and commercial determinants such as alcohol marketing [1]. One potential strategy may involve peer-focused interventions to target peer group norms, improve social negotiation skills [6] and encourage young adults to consider the disapproval of others [24]. However, interpersonal interventions, while necessary, may not be sufficient to combat the pervasive influence of the alcohol industry.…”

“…The studies were conducted in Australia (n = 11) [6,10,23,24,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36] or New Zealand (NZ; n = 2) [37,38], with two studies including participants from both Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) [32,33]. Eight studies were published in the last 5 years (since 2018) [6,10,[30][31][32][33][34][35].…”

“…Risk-taking is complex and influenced by structural and cultural forces [16]. In the case of alcohol use around water, risk practices are influenced by the wider social environment, including normative assumptions around alcohol use [10], the social and peer context [2,6], and commercial determinants such as marketing and advertising [1]. Gaining a better understanding of the factors that influence young people's alcohol use in aquatic environments, including the commercial activities that shape the alcogenic environment in which young people recreate [6], will have important consequences for future health promotion advocacy and policy efforts.…”

A Review of Interventions for Drowning Prevention Among Adults

“…Drowning prevention in adults is a complex, multifaceted public health issue [7,8]. Some risk factors (age, male 20,21]. In contrast, in LMICs, males are exposed daily to natural waterbodies as a source of livelihood, using water transport to and from work, including in vessels that are often overcrowded and poorly maintained [12,22,23].…”