NCJ Number
215584
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: 2006 Pages: 73-90
Date Published
2006
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed college students’ beliefs and intentions about intervening in risky alcohol incidents, particularly in terms of how their attitudes were impacted by sex, athletic status, and location of the drinking event.
Abstract
Results indicated that students were indeed bothered by the alcohol-related incident in the scenarios, but the opinions were not polarizing which implied a tacit acceptance of a campus environment in which students drank to the point of passing out. Participants were more likely to express concern and to intervene if the victim was female but were less likely to express concern or to intervene if the victim was a college athlete. Location of the drinking event did not significantly impact concern or the likelihood of intervention. Overall, the findings suggest that demographic characteristics impact social norms and behavioral expectations regarding college drinking. Interventions for college students should be tailored to meet the needs of particular student types. The analysis drew on routine activities theory, which contends that crimes occur when three factors converge: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian. Participants were 479 college students in liberal education courses who volunteered to take part in the study. Participants completed the Undergraduate Alcohol Attitude Assessment (UAAA) instrument in which one of eight scenarios was presented and participants were asked to form opinions about guardianship over observed dangerous or harmful alcohol-related behaviors. The scenarios differed in terms of key characteristics of the victim (gender and athletic status) and the location of the party. Two main constructs were measured in each scenario--concern about an alcohol poisoning and response to the alcohol poisoning. The analysis used a multiple analysis of variance test (MANOVA) to analyze the “concern” and “respond” constructs of alcohol-related incident guardianship. Future studies should expand the analysis to include other relevant contextual and demographic variables that may impact college drinking beliefs and intentions. Figure, tables, references