Gender differences in alcohol onset and drinking frequency in adolescents: an application of the theory of planned behavior

Henriette Kyrrestad,Geraldine Mabille,Frode Adolfsen,Roman Koposov,Monica Martinussen

doi:10.1080/09687637.2020.1865271

Henriette Kyrrestad, Geraldine Mabille + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/09687637.2020.1865271

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Abstract

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a model utilized to predict human behavior that was used to examine adolescents’ alcohol drinking behavior (onset and frequency of drinking). Longitudinal data collected over a 2 year period from Norwegian junior high school students (N = 1,563) was used. Multilevel structural equation models was used to examine the utility of the TPB to explain variance in adolescents’ onset and frequency of alcohol use. Gender differences between the different TPB components and alcohol use was tested. Onset and frequency of alcohol drinking were predicted by intention, for both genders. Intention to onset drinking was in turn predicted by subjective norms (SN) for both girls and boys while intention to drinking frequency was predicted by SN and attitude for girls, and SN for boys. Onset of drinking and frequency of alcohol use were directly related to perceived behavior control (PBC) for girls. Gender differences in TPB were detected. Alcohol preventive programs will benefit from focusing on attitude, SN and PBC for girls and SN for boys.

Highlights

Alcohol is the intoxicating substance most frequently used among European adolescents in junior high schools (ESPAD, 2020)
Descriptive statistics per gender for the different items used in our models are presented in Tables 1 and 2
When looking at boys and girls separately, the model fit was slightly better for girls (CFI 1⁄4 .992, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) 1⁄4 .035) as compared to boys

Summary

Introduction

Alcohol is the intoxicating substance most frequently used among European adolescents in junior high schools (ESPAD, 2020). In Norway, 12% of junior high schools students declare to have been intoxicated more than once during the last year, with an increase from 3% for both genders in 8th grade (about 13 years old) to 22% of the boys and 25% of the girls in 10th grade (about 15 years old; Bakken, 2018). This marked increase in drunkenness during junior high school suggests that it could be a key period for implementing alcohol preventive interventions. Interventions that aim to deter the onset of alcohol drinking or prevent drunkenness among adolescents need to focus on factors that influence human behavior and researchers should use tools that help unravel behavior.

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