Prospective Associations of Actual and Perceived Descriptive Norms with Drinking Among Emerging Adults

ABSTRACT

Background: Descriptive norms are commonly associated with participant drinking. However, study participants may incorrectly perceive that their peers drink about the same amount as they do, which would bias estimates of drinking homogeneity. Objectives: This research examined the magnitude of associations between emerging adults' reports of their own drinking and peer drinking measured the previous year by measures of (1) participants' perceptions of friends' drinking; and (2) actual drinking reported by nominated peers. Methods: The data are from annual surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015, Waves 4 and 5 (the first 2 years after high school) of 7 annual assessments as part of the NEXT Generation Health Study (n = 323). Associations of participant alcohol use with perceived friend use (five closest, closest male, and closest female friends), and with actual peer use. Logistic regression analyses estimated the magnitudes of prospective associations between each measure of peer drinking at W4 and participant drinking at W5.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• peer influence
• peer network
• binge drinking

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Acknowledgments

This research (contract number HHSN275201200001I) was supported by the intramural research program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Funding

Odds Ratios of associations between participants' reports of drinking and heavy drinking in the past 30 days and the four different reports of peer norms and actual peer drinking behavior reported the previous year ranged from 2.3 (CI = 1.2–4.7) to 3.1 (CI = 1.5–6.3). The estimates for perceived norms were higher for male than female participants.