[Motivations for alcohol use among adolescents in an urban high school]

[Motivations for alcohol consumption in schooled adolescents: analysis of discussion groups]

OBJECTIVE

To find out the motivations of adolescents for alcohol consumption.

DESIGN

Qualitative methodology with discussion groups.

PARTICIPANTS AND CONTEXT

131 adolescents (15-17 years old) enrolled in nine schools in Tarragona (Spain).

METHOD

Systematic coding strategy, adapted to focus groups. Educational centers were selected through a stratified purposive sampling by educational levels (segmentation criterion) and ownership of the center (public or private). Participants within the educational levels were randomly selected for the groups. Content analysis was conducted using an open and flexible coding strategy.

RESULTS

Motivations for alcohol consumption were identified, revolving around six fundamental dimensions: a) seeking fun and new sensations, b) alleviating discomfort, c) consumption due to social contagion and group pressure, d) consumption as a rite of passage into adulthood, e) environmental availability of alcohol, and f) low perception of risk. This motivation varied according to the adolescent's gender. In girls, drinking behavior appeared related to overcoming negative emotional states, while for boys, belonging to the peer group took precedence: drinking reinforces hegemonic masculinity and ensures complicity among peers. Adolescents considered that the information they receive from educational centers is sufficient, but it does not motivate change.

CONCLUSIONS

Public health strategies focused on preventing alcohol consumption in adolescents should incorporate their motivations to achieve greater efficiency, paying due attention to sex/gender variables.

[Spanish adolescents' low perception of risk in alcohol consumption]

According to recent studies, Spanish adolescents show low perception of risk in alcohol consumption. The current study aims to analyze the factors that favor this low perception based on the opinion of a group of 32 professional experts on adolescence, family, school, mass media, and local policies. A qualitative methodology was used, based on Grounded Theory, using information from 5 focus groups guided by semi-structured interviews. Twelve factors or subcategories were identified, grouped in 4 general categories: short-term risk, immediacy, and perception of invulnerability ("adolescent thinking" category); benevolent view of alcohol, normalization of consumption, and alcohol-entertainment binomial ("social norms" category); parents' habitual consumption, verbal/non-verbal inconsistency in parental model, risk-free consumption depicted in the mass media, consumption with positive results in the media ("social models" category); and excessive health content, long-term risk ("preventive discourse" category). After discussing the results in the context of the current scientific literature, the article offers various proposals for increasing risk perception in adolescents: stronger impact of contents on short-term risks of alcohol; educational strategies targeted to adolescents to include agents of socialization, especially parents; and policies centered on the substance and reduction of supply.

[Changes in hazardous drinking in Spanish adolescent population in the last decade (2004-2013) using a quantitative and qualitative design]

Objetivo

Conocer los cambios del consumo alcohólico de riesgo en los adolescentes en la última década, así como sus motivaciones y vivencias.

Diseño

1) descriptivo transversal: encuesta autoadministrada; 2) cualitativo explicativo: grupos de discusión videograbados, con análisis de contenido (codificación, triangulación de categorías y verificación de resultados).

Emplazamiento y participantes

Alumnos de un instituto urbano de educación secundaria, administrando un cuestionario cada 3 años de 2004 a 2013. En el año 2013 se realizan las entrevistas grupales, con muestreo de conveniencia. Criterio de homogeneidad: nivel educativo; criterios de heterogeneidad: edad, sexo y consumo de drogas.

Mediciones principales

Cuestionario: edad, sexo, consumo de drogas y cuestionario CAGE. Entrevistas: semiestructuradas sobre un guión previo, valorando vivencias y expectativas.

Resultados

Descriptivo: 1.558 encuestas, edad 14,2 ± 0,3 años, 50% mujeres. Disminuye la prevalencia de consumo de alcohol (13%), aumentando el consumo de riesgo (11%; p < 0,001 χ²). Relacionado con ser mujer (p < 0,01 χ²), mayor consumo alcohólico (> 6 unidades de bebida estándar/semana; p < 0,001 ANOVA) en fin de semana (56%; p < 0,01 χ²) y policonsumo (p < 0,01 χ²). Cuestionario CAGE: 37% ≥ 1 respuesta positiva (relacionado con consumo de riesgo, p < 0,05 χ²), 18% ≥ 2 respuestas.

Cualitativo

: 48 entrevistados; se establecen 4 categorías: determinantes personales (edad, género), influencias sociales (familia, amigos), normalización del consumo (accesibilidad, ocio nocturno) y adicción (riesgo, policonsumo).

Conclusión

Es preocupante el aumento del porcentaje del consumo alcohólico de riesgo, pese a disminuir las prevalencias del consumo. Se relaciona con el sexo femenino, el consumo binge-drinking y el policonsumo. El ocio nocturno y la normalización social son las principales motivaciones argumentadas por los adolescentes, sin percepción del riesgo de este tipo de consumo.

[Effectiveness of institutional policies to prevent adolescent alcohol use: The view of experts and adolescents]

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to obtain the views of a sample of adolescents and experts on adolescence, family, school, local policies and media, regarding the effectiveness of institutional policies to prevent adolescent alcohol use.

SETTING

Four educational centers in the province of Seville. Head office of the Alcohol and Society Foundation in Madrid.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using the method proposed by Grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967).

METHODOLOGY

Data were collected from 10 discussion groups guided by semistructured interviews. The data were analyzed using Atlas ti 5 software.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 32 national experts and 40 adolescents of both sexes aged 15 to 20 years living in the province of Seville, selected by theoretical intentional sampling.

RESULTS

The experts believed that most of the evaluated preventive actions were effective, while adolescents disputed the preventive impact of most of them. Adolescents proposed actions focused on the reduction of supply of alcohol. Experts proposed a mixed model as the most effective strategy to prevent alcohol consumption in adolescents, combining supply and demand reduction policies, depending on specific short and long term objectives.

CONCLUSIONS

We have obtained, not only an overview of what is working (or not) from the view of adolescents and experts, but also the key points that should be taken into account for designing effective prevention policies.