Normative beliefs, misperceptions, and heavy episodic drinking in a British student sample
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2007Keyword
Social normsAlcohol
Misperceptions
Students
University of Paisley
Binge drinking
Beliefs and attitudes
Rights
© 2007 Rutgers University. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.Peer-Reviewed
YesOpen Access status
openAccess
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Objective: Numerous studies have demonstrated the existence and effect of normative misperceptions on heavy episodic drinking behavior. However, there has been little work on these processes or application of normative-belief interventions outside the U.S. college system. The aim of the current study, therefore, was to investigate heavy episodic drinking and normative misperceptions in a U.K. university setting. Method: An email containing a link to a survey Web site was distributed to all current undergraduate students at the University of Paisley, Scotland. In addition to age and gender questions, the survey contained items on students¿ personal behavior and perception of the level of that behavior in three groups of increasing social distance: close friends, other students of the same age, and other people of the same age in U.K. society in general. Results: Completed surveys from 500 respondents were returned. In keeping with previous research, significant correlations were found between the respondents¿ behavior and the perception of that behavior in others, with beliefs about the most proximal individuals being the most strongly correlated. The majority of respondents were also found to overestimate alcohol consumption in other students. An age effect was noted, in which misperceptions appeared to decrease with age but did not vary between genders. Conclusions: The findings of the study indicate that the normative-belief alcohol consumption processes that have been found on U.S. college campuses also operate in U.K. university settings. This raises the possibility of applying social-norms interventions from the United States to the United Kingdom and potentially elsewhere in the world. Furthermore, the study noted apparent age effects in the degree of misperception, the implications of which are discussedVersion
Published versionCitation
McAlaney J and McMahon J (2007) Normative beliefs, misperceptions, and heavy episodic drinking in a British student sample. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 68(3): 385-392.Link to Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2007.68.385Type
Articleae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2007.68.385