I am going to make the most out of it! Italian university Credit Mobility Students’ social representations of alcohol use during study abroad experiences

Abstract

The aim was to explore shared representations of alcohol use in students who were to travel abroad to study. Focus group data from Italian students ( N = 69) were collected. Analyses used Grounded Theory Methodology and were informed by the four key components of Social Representation Theory (cognition, emotion, attitude and behavioural intentions). The study abroad experience was described as one that would involve an increase in alcohol consumption compared to pre-departure levels. Reasons given included greater social and leisure opportunities involving alcohol, reduced social control and features of the host country environment. Opportunities to intervene and address risky alcohol use in this group are discussed.

A Longitudinal Study of European Students' Alcohol Use and Related Behaviors as They Travel Abroad to Study

“…Therefore, they may need to catch up as they return (e.g., taking more classes) and have less time at disposal for social and recreational activities that include drinking. Secondly, consistent with the popular social representation of study abroad experiences as a 'party' period (Aresi et al, 2018), it is possible that students consider studying abroad as the last opportunity to enjoy life with few restrictions and responsabilities, before a next phase of their life begins and they mature out of the typical young adult drinking (Järvinen & Bom, 2018;O Malley, 2004). Both explanations find some support in the result of this study, as decreases in alcohol use were greater for older students, who are both facing increasing academic demands related to the end of their university career and approaching the time when new adult responsabilities are usually taken on.…”

“…In the case of SASs, most students remain segregated from the local student population and socialise in co-national or international-only groups (Brown, 2009), thus possibly accentuating the effects of beliefs by becoming a part of a cohesive and segregated group (Perkins, 2002). Additionally, social forces (e.g., motivation to socialise to avoid isolation and fit into the new environment) encourage students to adhere to the popular social representation of study abroad students as heavy-drinking 'party-goers' (Aresi et al, 2018). Given such beliefs and attitudes are usually resistant to change (Foxcroft, Moreira, Almeida Santimano, & Smith, 2015), rather than change students' beliefs (Pedersen, Neighbors, Atkins, Lee, & Larimer, 2017) interventions might instead seek to reduce SASs' segregation, thus possibly reducing the impact of such beliefs.…”

“…In light of evidence that SASs tend to have little involvement with the culture and people of the host country (Brown, 2009;Sigalas, 2010), a well-adjusted student may be one who was successuful in socialising with co-national or international peers. Therefore, given SASs are a self-selected group and the popular representation is that they are heavy-drinking partygoers (Aresi et al, 2018), better adjusted students may drink heavier and increase alcohol use to a greater extent than others. Again, alcohol interventions seeking to reduce SASs' segregation, and promote students' adjustment to the host country that doesn't involve socialization with study abroad peers only, may prove helpful.…”

“…While there are benefits to studying overseas there are also possible risks that may be exacerbated through a lack of familiarity with the language and customs of their host country (Hummer, Pedersen, Mirza, & Labrie, 2010). There is evidence that heavy-drinking students tend to self-select into study abroad exchange programmes (Pedersen, LaBrie, Hummer, Larimer, & Lee, 2010), and results of longitudinal studies conducted on samples of North American and Italian SASs indicate that students drink heavily, consuming up to twice as much alcohol during their study abroad experience compared to pre-departure levels (Aresi, Fattori, Pozzi, & Moore, 2018;Aresi, Moore, & Marta, 2016b).…”

A Mixed Methods Cross‐Cultural Study to Compare Youth Drinking Cultures in Italy and the USA

“…Conversely, Italians display a more diverse array of options of alcohol use that include moderate convivial drinking where certain alcoholic beverages are matched with certain foods. Therefore, even though most young Italians moved away from a lifestyle in which there is a total integration of alcoholic drinks into daily life and hedonistic drinking is prevalent (Aresi, Fattori, Pozzi, & Moore, ; Gordon et al., ), some features of the traditional drinking culture have been retained. More specifically, informal social norms with regard to using alcohol to reach a functional level of intoxication to enhance the enjoyment of food and the pleasure of being with friends may indeed represent a protective factor against heavy alcohol use and its consequences (Aresi & Pedersen, ; Beccaria, ).…”