NCJ Number
215355
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: 2005 Pages: 291-304
Date Published
2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study explored Hispanic students’ perceptions of alcohol use using a free listing research method.
Abstract
The results indicated a total of 82 different perceptions of alcohol use, 37 of which were positive and 45 of which were negative. Positive perceptions of alcohol use included the release of social inhibitions, the promotion of social interaction, and socializing. Negative perceptions of alcohol use included physical concerns, interpersonal conflicts, risk taking, and lapses in judgment. The findings suggest that college students have complex and ambivalent perspectives on alcohol use that vary by both contexts and outcomes. This type of qualitative research on students’ perceptions of alcohol use can inform prevention programming by identifying the perceptions underlying students’ alcohol use behaviors. It is suggested that campus-based prevention programming should address the range of perceptions associated with alcohol use. Participants were 59 Hispanic college students recruited through advertisements who self-identified themselves as regular drinkers. The free listing technique was utilized in which students were asked to list all the positive things about drinking and all the negative things about drinking. Responses were tabulated and semantically identical responses were collapsed into the same category. Frequencies and percentages were then calculated in order to ascertain the salience of particular perceptions. Tables, references