Young men's ambivalence toward alcohol

Visser, Richard O. de; Smith, Jonathan A.

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.09.010

Cited by 74 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(80 reference statements)

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“…We suggest that these insights into lived experiences of nondrinkers facilitate critical re-thinking around alcohol's subjective effects, communal influence and social utility. Our data chime with previous evidence of ambivalence towards alcohol consumption among young people (de Visser & Smith, 2007b); findings which lack prominence in a literature geared towards understanding alcohol's effects in more material terms of physical or psychopathological harm.…”

Section: Study Strengths and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 82%

“…Small sample sizes are typical of IPA studies and highly congruent with its methodological emphasis: the in-depth investigation of a shared aspect of lived experience. Recent IPA studies of drinking behaviour among young people (e.g., Shinebourne & Smith, 2009;de Visser & Smith, 2006, de Visser & Smith, 2007ade Visser & Smith, 2007b) have demonstrated the inherent value of recognizing complex links between drinking behaviour and issues of self and identity among young people. Similarly, we sought to explore the phenomenology of the decision not to drink alcohol as something that might be expected to hold implications for self and identity given its counter-normative association.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Being a non-drinking student: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Conroy

Visser

2013

Psychology & Health

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Recent research suggests that safer student alcohol consumption might be assisted by understanding how social occasions are managed by non-drinkers. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with five 19-22 year old non-drinking English undergraduates were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). We present five inter-linked themes: 'living with challenges to non-drinking'; 'seeing what goes on in drinking environments'; 'dealing with conversations about non-drinking ('making excuses vs. coming out')'; 'knowing which friends care about you'; and 'the importance of withholding "legroom" for peer pressure'.Participants felt under persistent peer scrutiny (as a form of peer pressure) and could feel alienated in drinking environments. Talking about non-drinking was characterised by whether to 'come out' (as a non-drinker) or 'fake it' (e.g., 'I'm on antibiotics'). Loyal friendships were reported as particularly important in this context. The decision not to drink was experienced as providing a successful buffer to peer pressure for former drinkers. Our findings unsettle traditional health promotion campaigns which advocate moderate drinking among students without always suggesting how it might be most successfully accomplished, and offer tentative guidance on how non-drinking during specific social occasions might be managed more successfully. Findings are discussed in relation to extant literature and future research directions are suggested.

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Section: Study Strengths and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Being a non-drinking student: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Conroy

Visser

2013

Psychology & Health

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“…Like de Visser and Smith's (2007) research, some young men in this study in the non-college sample of students talked about how heavy drinking was linked with masculinity, and those did not drink at risk-related levels had ambivalence towards alcohol use or were non-drinkers. Young women and young men both talked about how peer pressure was exerted more by same sex peers illustrating particular sets of gendered social dynamics.…”

mentioning

confidence: 53%

‘Just choose the easy option’: students talk about alcohol use and social influence

Hepworth

McVittie

Schofield

et al. 2015

Journal of Youth Studies

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Previous research into young people's drinking behaviour has studied how social practices influence their actions and how they negotiate drinking-related identities. Here, adopting the perspective of discursive psychology we examine how, for young people, social influences are bound up with issues of drinking and of identity. We conducted 19 focus groups with undergraduate students in Australia aged between 18 and 24 years. Thematic analysis of participants' accounts for why they drink or do not drink was used to identify passages of talk that referred to social influence, paying particular attention to terms such as 'pressure' and 'choice'. These passages were then analysed in fine-grained detail, using discourse analysis, to study how participants accounted for social influence. Participants treated their behaviour as accountable and produced three forms of account that: (1) minimised the choice available to them, (2) explained drinking as culture and (3) described resisting peer pressure. They also negotiated gendered social dynamics related to drinking. These forms of account allowed the participants to avoid individual responsibility for drinking or not drinking. These findings demonstrate that the effects of social influence on young people's drinking behaviour cannot be assumed, as social influence itself becomes negotiable within local contexts of talk about drinking.

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“…Research indicates that although young people are aware of the detrimental effects of excessive alcohol consumption, they consider these to be the cost of perceived benefits (Cameron, Stritzke, & Durkin, 2003;de Visser & Smith, 2007a). It is therefore important to examine the extent and nature of young people's ambivalence toward alcohol.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Drinking is our modern way of bonding’: Young people’s beliefs about interventions to encourage moderate drinking

Visser

Wheeler

Abraham

et al. 2013

Psychology & Health

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Efforts to discourage excessive alcohol use among young people can only be effective if the target audience is exposed to, attends to, and comprehends key messages. The aim of this study was to examine age and sex differences in drinking motives to better inform development of targeted interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm. Thirty individual interviews and 12 group interviews were conducted with English 13-25 year olds. Interviewees gave multiple motivations for drinking - especially those related to image and reputation, and played down the health implications of heavy drinking. Negative aspects of drinking - caring for drunk friends, being cared for when drunk and suffering through hangovers with friends - were considered to offer opportunities for closer interpersonal bonding than other social activities. Respondents distanced themselves from 'problem' drinkers, but disapproved of others' problematic drinking or antisocial behaviour. Narrative messages demonstrating the social consequences of excessive consumption were preferred to single, static messages emphasising risk or harm. Interviewees noted that interventions must use an engaging tone or pitch: they considered many campaigns to be patronising or preaching. A lack of consensus between age and sex groups highlighted a need for multifaceted, multi-modal approaches that utilise mobile technologies and new media.

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Young men's ambivalence toward alcohol

Cited by 74 publications

References 56 publications

Being a non-drinking student: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Being a non-drinking student: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

‘Just choose the easy option’: students talk about alcohol use and social influence

‘Drinking is our modern way of bonding’: Young people’s beliefs about interventions to encourage moderate drinking

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