RHP&EO is the electronic journal of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education

Relative Strength Of Social Activity, Optimism About Personal Future And Social Norms As "Predictors" Of Young People's Alcohol Consumption.

Erik Iversen

Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

While several studies indicate that sociability as a personality trait is positively associated with alcohol use, few studies have been concerned with actual social activity and alcohol use. Alexander and Duff (1988) found a positive association between these variables for senior citizens in the US, and Margulies, Kessler and Kandel (1977) found such association for high-school students in the US.

This paper presents results from a cross-sectional survey among young adults living in Western Norway. Questionnaires were sent participants by mail, and 1169 were returned, a response rate of 51.2%. Completion rate was high, 98% for the questions meant for all. The survey included, among other issues, questions about amount and frequency of alcohol consumption, and questions pertaining to social activities, optimism/pessimism about personal future, and social norms towards drinking alcohol. Strong associations were found between social activity and alcohol consumption, and multiple regression analyses found level of social activity as a stronger concurrent predictor of alcohol consumption than gender, age, norms and optimism. Findings are discussed.

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