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Emotional Wellbeing and Violence Among Social and Solitary Risky Single Occasion Drinkers in Adolescence

NCJ Number
206647
Journal
Addiction Volume: 99 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2004 Pages: 331-339
Author(s)
Emmanuel N. Kuntsche; Gerhard Gmel
Date Published
March 2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study classified adolescents according to different types of risky single occasion drinking (RSOD) and level of social integration and probed emotional well-being and violence-related variables between groups.
Abstract
Across the United States and Europe, the problem of young people “binge drinking” has become a major public health concern. In this paper, binge drinking is defined as risky single occasion drinking (RSOD) leading to intoxication. The goal of the current study was to distinguish between two types of adolescent RSOD’s, social versus solitary RSOD’s, and to determine whether emotional well-being and violence-related variables varied according to group membership. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional national survey of 3,861 eighth and ninth grade students in Switzerland. Questionnaires probed frequency of drinking, friendships, life satisfaction, and violence-related variables such as bullying and hitting. Results of K-means cluster analysis and multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that social RSOD’s were more violent than solitary RSOD’s, although both groups displayed violent tendencies. Also common to both groups were low levels of satisfaction with life in general and depressive moods, although solitary RSOD’s displayed the greatest dissatisfaction with life and had more depressive moods than social RSOD’s. Solitary RSOD’s were also more likely to be the victim of bullying than social RSOD’s and to have low self-esteem. The findings revealed that adolescents who binge drink are not a homogenous group and, as such, preventive efforts should be applied according to the constellation of problems presented. Solitary RSOD’s are often more depressed, socially inhibited, and the victims of bullying, while social RSOD’s are more socially accepted but also appear to be more prone to violent behavior. Tables, figures, references

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