Social-norms interventions for light and nondrinking students

Abstract

Social-norms approaches to alcohol prevention are based on consistent findings that most students overestimate the prevalence of drinking among their peers. Most interventions have been developed for heavy-drinking students, and the applicability of social-norms approaches among abstaining or light-drinking students has yet to be evaluated. The present research aimed to evaluate the impact of two types of online social-norms interventions developed for abstaining or light-drinking students. Identification with other students was evaluated as a moderator. Participants included 423 freshmen and sophomore college students who reported never or rarely drinking at screening. Students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) personalized-norms feedback, (b) social-norms marketing ads, or (c) attention control. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. Results provided some support for both interventions but were stronger for social-norms marketing ads, particularly among participants who identified more closely with other students.

Description

Keywords

Social norms, Social identity, Feedback, Abstainers, Alcohol

Citation

Copyright 2011 Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. This is a post-print version of a published paper that is available at: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1368430210398014. Recommended citation: Neighbors, Clayton, Megan Jensen, Judy Tidwell, Theresa Walter, Nicole Fossos, and Melissa A. Lewis. "Social-Norms Interventions for Light and Nondrinking Students." Group Processes and Intergroup Relations 14, no. 5 (2011): 651-669. doi: 10.1177/1368430210398014. This item has been deposited in accordance with publisher copyright and licensing terms and with the author’s permission.