Communicable Drinking: Understanding the Relationships between Communication and Underage Drinking on a College Campus

Underage drinking is an ongoing issue in the United States and particularly on college campuses (Harding et al., 2016). College students consume more alcohol than their same-aged peers who are not enrolled in college (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, Schulenberg, & Miech, 2014) and half of alcohol consumption among students in 4-year colleges is attributed to underage drinkers (Wechsler, Lee, Nelson, & Kuo, 2002). These findings prompted us to investigate what might be affecting drinking decisions and knowledge among college students, particularly those who are underaged. The goal of our project is to explore the cultural and interpersonal communication about drinking among students at the University of Maine with the hope of proposing sustainable awareness-raising efforts on campus. Using qualitative research methods and exploring communication variables such as optimistic bias (Weinstein, 1989), social norms (Dejong & Smith, 2013), and boomerang effect (Sol Hart & Nisbet, 2011), we will present results that answer the following specific research questions: How do students communicate about drinking and what are the social meanings of drinking? How do students obtain knowledge about drinking and/or the risks of drinking alcohol? What do students’ stories suggest about factors influencing decisions to drink?

Faculty Mentor: Liliana Herakova

Co-authors: Matt Ovenden, Timothy Rocha, Amanda Woods, Carrie Daigle, Derek Douglass