NCJ Number
203454
Journal
Youth Studies Australia Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2003 Pages: 18-24
Editor(s)
Sheila Allison
Date Published
September 2003
Length
7 pages
Annotation
A focus group study of young women was conducted by the Women’s Health Unit of the Central Sydney Australia Area Health Service to explore their perceptions of the risk of spiked drinks and their behaviors in social settings.
Abstract
In Australia, there is a growing concern among those working in the area of sexual assault about the use of alcohol and/or other drugs as weapons to facilitate such assaults, in a process often referred to as “spiking a drink.” This study conducted by the Women’s Health Unit of the Central Sydney Area Health Service explored the way young women use alcohol in social situations, their attitudes towards risk and safety and specifically, their perception of the risk of having a drink spiked. Young women were lead in discussions about what a typical night out involves, what safety issues concerned them when they were out, and any safety practices they already utilized. In addition, they were asked how at risk they felt they were of having a drink spiked. Women between the ages of 18 and 25 years were targeted for the focus groups. Eighteen young women participated in 4 focus groups. Insight was provided into the way young women use alcohol in social situations. There were many young women involved in the study who were at risk of a spiked drink incident. At the same time, some of the young women had used effective safety practices which could form the basis of a spiked drinks prevention campaign. Some of the practices suggested were to watch your drinks, do not accept drinks from strangers, and do not leave drinks unattended. It was noted that any health promotion intervention aimed at impacting on the incidence of spiked drinks will need to be multi-strategic and involve collaboration with stakeholders from different sectors. References