Similarity of university students' and their parents' attitudes toward alcohol

It is proposed that older adolescents become more sensitive to parental norms about alcohol use. Seventy-two father-mother-daughter triads and 30 father-mother-son triads rated structural attitude statements about alcohol and drinking. Factor analyses yielded six dimensions of attitudes toward alcohol. Sons and parents had similar attitudes overall, with perceptions differing more on the sociability factor. There were a larger number of differences in the attitudes of parents and their daughters, especially concerning women drinking, moderate uses of alcohol and social status benefits from drinking. Daughters' attitudes were more likely to be different from both parents' attitudes than were sons' attitudes. The attitudes of daughters toward alcohol were discussed with reference to changes in women's roles and differences in their education and lifestyle.

Alcohol-related attitudes and stereotypes: teenagers in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the United States

Little is known of the drinking habits and attitudes to alcohol of young people in the developing nations. This research compared the alcohol-related attitudes and stereotypes of 677 Papua New Guinea high school youth to those held by 315 Australian and 166 American school students. While the overwhelming majority of Australian and American students had drunk alcohol, the majority of Papua New Guinean young people had not drunk alcoholic beverages. Papua New Guinean students gave higher ratings on reasons for drinking, and especially emphasized more than other students that alcohol was related to feelings of being important and friendships. These alcohol-related benefits were more salient to Papua New Guinean males than females. A measure of stereotypes revealed that Papua New Guinean students had more definite stereotypes about heavy drinkers than other students, while the strength of stereotypes was more similar across countries on impressions of non-drinkers. The personality traits attributed to drinkers and non-drinkers also differed across cultures. Finally, almost all Papua New Guinean male and female teenagers thought that women should not drink alcohol.

Perceptions about the value and cost of children: Australian and Papua New Guinean high school youth

The present study of 329 Australian and 281 Papua New Guinean (PNG) high school youth compared students' perceptions of the economic role of children, the importance of personal aspirations, evidence of support for the conjugal family and for cultural props. As predicted, the economic role of children was more important to PNG students, and considerably less so to young Australians. Predicted differences in personal aspirations were less clear cut, but young Australians cited more frequently the restrictions and economic costs in having children. In addition, Australians emphasized more than PNG students the pleasure, pride, fulfilment and achievement in having children. As expected in a low fertility country, Australian students mentioned more often the love and companionship of children, although students in both countries had similar views about the impact of children upon the marital relationship. Lineage and religious benefits from children were more salient to PNG youth.

Cultural perceptions of the mentally ill: Australian and Papua New Guinean high school youth

One hundred and thirty-three (76 male, 57 female) Papua New Guinean (PNG) and 144 (93 male, 51 female) Australian high school students completed a series of structured and open-ended measures on attitudes to the mentally ill, especially opinions about the nature of mental illness, characteristics of the mentally ill, and treatment. Both groups of students suggested hereditary and environmental causes, with PNG students citing more often witchcraft and sorcery. Australian students generally presented more favourable attitudes to mental illness, in that they were more willing to work with or marry the mentally ill. PNG students, however, were more likely to highlight the disruptive, violent behaviour of the long long, and possibly held a much narrower view of the types of persons labelled mentally ill.