What are young people's perceptions and experiences of drinking alcohol on their mental state?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 02: LITERATURE REVIEW1

2.1 Defining 'Young People'1

2.2 Young People and Alcohol1

2.3 Young people's drinking patterns4

2.4 Reasons due to which Young People Drink7

2.4.1 Peer Influences7

2.4.2 Family Influences7

2.4.3 Attitudes and Expectations8

2.5 Negative Consequences of Alcohol consumption between Young People8

2.6 Social Considerations9

2.7 Mental Issues related to Drinking of Alcohol12

2. 8 Young People and impact of drinking alcohol on their mental state13

2.9 Developmental Perspective on the Etiology of Alcohol Use and Heavy Drinking15

2.10 Implications for policy and prevention16

2.11 Minimum age limits17

2.12 Conclusions17

REFERENCES19

CHAPTER 02: LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

This chapter of the dissertation incorporates relevant literature on the perceptions and experiences that young people have for drinking alcohol on their mental state. The literature has been extracted from electronic libraries, journals, articles, books and other sources.

2.1 Defining 'Young People'

There are no recent consensuses regarding the consumption of alcohol based on the threshold of age, when an individual is a young person and is becoming an adult (Baer and Sampson, 2003, p. 377). A WHO (World Health Organisation) conducted a group study in which a young person was defined as person who is between the ages of 10 to 24 years of age. For consumption of alcohol, most of the countries have legally authorised threshold for drinking, which might coincide with the age levels of the majority for activities (Arata and Stafford, 2003, p. 579). For the development of prevention and policy approaches, it is considered important to distinguish between the young people who are below the age required for legal drinking and those who are above it. The legal implications for drinking of alcohol for these two groups are different and even for the people who serve and sell alcohol (Chassin and Curran, 1996, p. 70).

2.2 Young People and Alcohol

Alcohol consumption is defined as the consumption of beverages containing ethyl alcohol, whereas problem drinking is defined as alcohol consumption that results in negative consequences (Calfee & Scheraga, 1994, p. 287). The negative consequence of problem drinking range broadly and can include academic consequences (grades suffering, dropping out of school, etc.), occupational consequences (reduced productivity, missed days, etc.), social consequences, economic consequences, legal consequences, and consequences related to physical and emotional health. As a result of these negative consequences, college campuses are beginning to implement various efforts aimed at reducing problem drinking among students (Botvin and Griffin, 2003, p. 17).

Efforts to reduce problem drinking and the negative consequences of problem drinking among college students have been met with limited success (Calfee & Scheraga, 1994, p. 287). One attempt involves increasing the use of protective behavioural strategies (PBS) within the university population. PBS is a series of behaviors that can be utilized to reduce the degree of negative consequences of alcohol consumption when people choose to drink alcohol. PBS focuses on harm reduction and provides an excellent alternative to abstinence and educational strategies (Arata and Stafford, 2003, p. 579). The following are examples of PBS: having a designated driver, drinking more slowly as opposed ...