Friends' drinking norms and male adolescents' alcohol consumption: The moderating role of performance-based peer influence susceptibility.
This study examined whether the relationship between friends' drinking norms and male adolescents' alcohol use is moderated by performance-based peer influence susceptibility. Seventy-three male adolescents (M = 17 years) from three schools in the Netherlands were exposed to the drinking norms of "peers" (electronic confederates) in a chat room experiment. These peers were either popular or unpopular, and conveyed pro- or anti-alcohol norms. Peer influence susceptibility was defined as the change in adolescents' answers before and after exposure to the peer norms. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that the relationship between friends' drinking norms and adolescents' alcohol use (assessed during eight weekends) was moderated by susceptibility to the pro-alcohol norms of popular peers. This relationship was stronger for adolescents who were highly susceptible. These findings suggest that a behavioral measure of peer influence susceptibility could be useful in alcohol prevention programs to select adolescents at risk for negative peer socialization.
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Developmental Psychopathology, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.teunissen@pwo.ru.nl.
Hanneke A
HA
Teunissen
Addiction Switzerland, Research Institute, PO Box 870, 1001, Lausanne, Switzerland; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Developmental Psychopathology, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: ekuntsche@suchtschweiz.ch.
Emmanuel
E
Kuntsche
Praktikon, PO Box 6909, 6503 GK, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Developmental Psychopathology, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: r.scholte@pwo.ru.nl.
Ron H J
RHJ
Scholte
Parnassia Addiction Research Centre (PARC), Brijder Addiction Care, Parnassia Bavo Group, PO Box 53002, 2505 AA, The Hague, The Netherlands. Electronic address: rzspijk@gmail.com.
Renske
R
Spijkerman
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, CB#3270 Davie Hall, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: mitch.prinstein@unc.edu.
Mitchell J
MJ
Prinstein
Trimbos Institute (Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction), PO Box 725, 3500 AS, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: REngels@trimbos.nl.
Rutger C M E
RCME
Engels
D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D000067074:Peer Influence; D061108:Social Media; D066262:Social Norms; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000066608:Underage Drinking / Q000523:psychology*
Adolescence; Alcohol use; Diary assessments; Peer influence susceptibility; Peer norms