The Role of Social Norms in the Structural Model Explaining Alcohol Use Among Students

Abstract

Few studies have explored the complex relationships among
several factors determining alcohol use or explained how norms
operate in the relationships between alcohol use and other
psychological constructs. This study aims to explore the complex
relationships in the proposed model explaining students' alcohol
use with special emphasis on descriptive and injunctive norms.
Cross-sectional data were collected from 719 university students
(59.0% females; Mage = 21.25; SD = 1.99), who were asked to
fill in a set of AUDIT items, cognitive and affective attitudes,
descriptive and injunctive norms, self-regulation, self-
-determination, drinking motives, and alcohol expectancies.
Structural equation modelling was used for data analysis. It was
found that (1) self-regulation was neither directly nor indirectly
associated with alcohol use; (2) self-determination was indirectly
associated with alcohol use through injunctive norms, attitudes
and drinking motives; (3) descriptive norms were associated with
alcohol use directly; (4) injunctive norms were associated with
alcohol use directly as well as indirectly via alcohol expectancies,
attitudes and drinking motives; (5) alcohol expectancies were
associated with alcohol use directly. In addition to identifying
individual associations among variables, this study also explains
which factors contribute to students' alcohol use and norms and
how these factors interact, which can be useful for the
development of prevention programmes.