Understanding and addressing the Schoolies phenomenon

Abstract

Objective: This study qualitatively explored Western Australian school leavers' alcohol-related experiences during the Schoolies period to generate insights for the purpose of intervention design. This is in the context of an impending change in the age of Western Australian students completing secondary school which, for the first time, will see around half being of legal age to purchase alcohol.Method: Fifty-four 18-21-year-olds provided reflections via an emailed introspection on their experiences in the immediate post-school period. This provided access to the views of those who chose to attend events and consume large amounts of alcohol, those who attended events but refrained from excessive alcohol consumption, and those who elected to either avoid Schoolies events or engage in alternative celebrations. The data were coded and analysed using NVivo10.Results: Three primary themes were identified that related to the perceived role of alcohol during Schoolies, the range of associated rite-of-passage rituals, and the strategies used by some Leavers to avoid alcohol and its consequences during the Schoolies period. Conclusion:Students and parents constitute important target groups for interventions designed to address alcohol-related harms during Schoolies. In the WA context, legislation on secondary supply and controlled purchase, as recommended by health and police authorities, could reduce harms that are likely to result from the change in the age of school leavers. Suggestions for alternative pastimes to promote to school leavers are provided.

Alcohol and injury risk at a Western Australian school Leavers Festival

“…The presented findings do not demonstrate a complete mitigation of hazardous behaviour and unhealthy levels of alcohol consumption among WA leavers, and previous research and viewpoints suggest it unlikely that this is avoidable . What is notable is an indication of a trajectory towards a “good news story,” whereby quantitative evidence of reduced alcohol consumption may replace frequent media reports of reckless and poorly behaved leavers that are often highlighted …”

“…While the legal drinking age in Australia is 18 years, mid‐year age cut‐offs for school enrolment across most states mean that approximately half of all school graduates are underage during their Leavers experience . This presents a unique challenge whereby 18‐year‐old leavers are able to facilitate the drinking behaviour of their under‐age peers, despite the threat of fines across each participating state.…”

Reverse engineering a ‘responsible drinking’ campaign to assess strategic intent

“…As part of the larger study, 60 participants were invited to provide fortnightly e-mailed introspections on topics relating to alcohol consumption. Introspections as a form of data collection allow participants to consider issues in their own time and determine the extent and scope of the information provided [21] (for further detail on the methodological approach and results of the broader study, see [22][23][24]). The study participants could discuss any topics relevant to alcohol consumption, and were also provided periodically with suggested topics.…”

Características del último primer día de clases: un nuevo rito de paso entre los estudiantes que finalizan la escuela secundaria

“…), no dormir e ingresar al colegio todos juntos haciendo ruido con pirotecnia, instrumentos musicales y/o cantando. Las situaciones más satisfactorias se organizaron en Se han descrito en diferentes países otros rituales de paso propios del último año de la escuela secundaria, tales como la semana de playa en Estados Unidos (beach week) 5 y el viaje de egresados en Australia (schoolies), [6][7][8][9] que se caracterizan por ser encuentros grupales sin la presencia de los padres, en los que se suele tomar alcohol. En nuestro país, es frecuente que los estudiantes del último año de la secundaria realicen un viaje de egresados.…”