Drinking group characteristics related to willingness to engage in protective behaviors with the group at nightclubs.

Abstract

Objective Electronic Music Dance Events (EMDEs) in nightclubs are settings where young adults tend to engage in high risk behaviors, such as heavy alcohol/drug use. Consequences of these behaviors may be prevented if young adults engaged in protective strategies with their drinking group. It is important to identify drinking group characteristics that predict willingness to intervene with peers. Objectives are to: 1) examine whether young adults at EMDEs would be willing to intervene with members of their drinking group; and 2) identify both individual and group characteristics of drinking groups that predict willingness to intervene. Method Nightclub patrons (N=215 individuals; 80 groups) were surveyed anonymously as they entered clubs. Individual and group-level characteristics were measured in relation to willingness to intervene with peers. Mixed model regressions were conducted, accounting for nesting by drinking group. Results : Analyses show that participants were willing to intervene with their peers. Groups that knew each other well and had lower expectations for members’ drinking were more willing to intervene. Women, younger and older participants were also more willing to intervene. Conclusions Findings show that club patrons are willing to intervene with their drinking groups to protect them from harmful consequences of heavy drinking and drug use. Findings indicate characteristics of both individuals and drinking groups that could be targeted in interventions among young adults largely not being reached by college interventions.

Playing it safe: Patron safety strategies and experience of violence in night‐time entertainment districts

“…This ‘culture of helping’, where one's peer group offers protection against harm from others during drinking occasions , could be utilised to facilitate a safer night‐time environment. In previous research, nightclub patrons were willing to intervene with their group in order to protect them against harmful consequences of drinking . Relatedly, a behavioural analysis of aggressive incidents suggests that third‐party intervention was more likely to de‐escalate than escalate violence outcomes during conflicts recorded in public drinking spaces .…”

Impact of Group Cohesion Among Drinking Groups at Nightclubs on Risk From Alcohol and Other Drug Use

“…Evidence suggests that individual- and group-level background variables are important for AOD use, including ethnicity (Chen & Jacobson, 2012; Khan, Cleland, Scheidell, & Berger, 2014; Miller, Byrnes, Branner, Voas, & Johnson, 2013; Shih, Miles, Tucker, Zhou, & D’Amico, 2010), gender (Khan et al, 2014), age (Chen & Jacobson, 2012; Miller, Byrnes, Branner, Johnson, & Voas, 2013), group size (Lau-Barraco, Braitman, Leonard, & Padilla, 2012), and past AOD behavior (Miller, Byrnes, Branner, Voas, & Johnson, 2013). Several of these variables have also been related to willingness to implement protective strategies with group members at nightclubs (Byrnes, Miller, Bourdeau, Johnson, & Voas, 2016). Therefore, individual control variables included gender, ethnicity, age, and past 30-day drinking/drug use at clubs.…”

Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Overuse Among Nightclub Patrons: A Randomized Trial of a Group-Based Mobile Intervention at Nightclubs

“…Astudy of college students found av ariety of strategies implemented to prevent AOD-related problems among peers, such as monitoring alcohol use among the group and taking care of friends whobecome sick from AOD use (Howard et al, 2007). The fewstudies conducted among nightclub patrons found that most are willing to intervene with their peers in riskysituations (Byrnes et al, 2016).…”