Changing Perceptions of Peer Norms as a Drinking Reduction Program for College Students

Several hundred students at a state university were arranged in four treatment or intervention groups. The treatment group of chief interest received a "norm-setting" intervention program intended to reduce subjects' perceptions of the norms or expectations of various reference groups...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of alcohol and drug education Vol. 41; no. 2; pp. 39 - 62
Main Authors BARNETT, LISA A., FAR, JEANNE M., MAUSS, ARMAND L., MILLER, JOHN A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published American Alcohol and Drug Information Foundation 01.01.1996
Subjects
Alcohol Abuse
Behavior Patterns
College Students
Drinking
Higher Education
Intervention
Norms
Peer Influence
Perception
Resistance to Temptation
Student Attitudes
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ISSN0090-1482
2162-4119

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Summary:Several hundred students at a state university were arranged in four treatment or intervention groups. The treatment group of chief interest received a "norm-setting" intervention program intended to reduce subjects' perceptions of the norms or expectations of various reference groups (including peers and parents) about appropriate levels of drinking. Questionnaires administered at three points across time indicated that the norm-setting intervention was indeed associated with the greatest reductions in the drinking norms attributed to the general student body, close friends, living groups, and parents. After four months, such reduced norm estimates were associated with concomitant reductions in actual (reported) drinking behavior, but such reductions in drinking occurred irrespective of treatment group. While this outcome failed to vindicate any specific intervention program, it was consistent with the self-discrepancy theory on which the norm-setting intervention was based.
ISSN:0090-1482
2162-4119