CULTURAL AND ETHNIC PATTERNS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN A UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT

Scope and Method of Study. This exploratory research examined the relationships among some of the social and cultural factors associated with consumption of beverage alcohol in a university environment. Eight hundred students from a variety of national and ethnic backgrounds were examined in the study, and these included 534 who were enrolled in introductory classes, 97 Black Americans, 60 Native Americans, 62 Nigerians, and 47 Chinese. Samples were described in terms of drinking patterns, and these were then examined in relation to problems associated with abuse of alcohol. Variables of interest were parental approval of drinking as seen by the student, degree of reported religiosity, neutralization of drinking behavior, drinking before coming to college, ethos of college life, social orientation, quantity-frequency of alcohol consumption, and problem drinking. It was anticipated that the relationship among these variables would be causal, linear and additive, occurring in the order given, and that each variable would be influenced by the combined effects of those prior to it. Findings and Conclusions. Path analyses of the selected variables determined that the suggested relationship did exist but was not the same for all samples. Additional findings were that religiosity appeared to be an important factor in the initial decision to drink and had some, but considerably less, impact on drinking patterns. The reported frequency of problem behavior was fairly low, but a number of drinkers responded positively to many of the problem items. Both Black samples indicated a relatively low incidence of problem behavior, and the stereotype of the Native American drinker was not upheld. However, the latter group ranked fairly high in the more serious types of alcohol abuse behavior, and the Chinese sample also was found to have a relatively high incidence of these problems. The classroom group reported a lower incidence of pre-alcoholism kinds of behaviors and a high rate of less serious types of activities.