LONGITUDINAL EFFECT OF THE PUNAV PREVENTION PROGRAM ON NORMATIVE BELIEFS AND ALCOHOL USE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.

Abstract

"The universal Prevention Program of Substance Use among University Students (PUNAV) is based on the strategy of correcting normative beliefs (NBs) regarding alcohol use. The current research shown that NBs are a significant factor in relation to alcohol consumption. This study has explored whether a change of NBs is associated with a decrease of alcohol use among university students. The data used in this study were collected before the implementation of PUNAV in September 2018 (N=137, Mage = 21.9, 77% women) and 18 months later after the implementation of the program in March 2020 (N=54, 77% women). Participants provided information on alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence, alcohol harmful use and descriptive NBs regarding alcohol consumption. The level of NBs at T2 was subtracted from level of NB at T1 (T1 – T2) to identify changes in NBs over time. Using SPSS 21, a linear regression model which controlled for the level of the outcome variables at T1 and observed changes in NBs were used to predict the outcome variables measured at T2. Alcohol consumption and NBs after PUNAV decreased alcohol consumption but increased the dependence and alcohol harmful consequences. The regression model, which controlled for alcohol use at T1, showed that a significant change in NBs was negatively associated with alcohol consumption at T2. The findings have in general shown that the observed changes in NBs (corrected NBs) were more likely to decrease alcohol consumption among university students."