음주에 대한 건강신념과 환경요인을 중심으로 한 중․고등학생의 음주행동 영향요인 비교

초록

Objectives: There has been an increase in underage drinking over the years and problems drinkers among youths are also on the rise. The age of onset for drinking has also been decreasing over the years. An early drinking onset is a strong predictor of alcohol abuse and alcohol-related problems in the adulthood, and is associated with low grade, deviant behaviors, legal problems as well as adverse effects on the developing body of the minors. Adolescence is characterized by many changes and therefore is difficult to make generalization about the group as one group. This study examined factors influencing drinking behaviors unique to different adolescent periods in order to lay ground for developing prevention programs and interventions more specific to different needs. Methods: The study sample included a national sample of 2,732 adolescents (1,420 middle school students and 1,312 high school students). Data were collected using a self-administered survey. Results: The study found some differences in factors related to drinking behavior between middle and high school students. Peer alcohol use and barriers to abstinence influenced drinking frequencies in both groups, but parental attitude toward drinking and severity was influential only for the former group and gender for the latter group. For alcohol consumption in the younger adolescents, severity was an influencing factor but not for the older adolescents. Risky drinking was more common among the high school drinkers and only gender and peer drinking were found to be influential for the high school group. Conclusion: Implications of the study were discussed including the need to develope programs that target youths from their early ages in order to help develop and sustain a sound health belief.

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