Drinking and denial of social obligations among adolescent boys.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effects of male sex-role orientation on drinking behavior were examined in data obtained from a 1974 national survey of .apprx. 15,000 students (6339 boys) in grades 7-12. The measures of drinking were a quantity-frequency index, a scale of drinking problems and a scale of drinking symptomatic of alcohol dependence; the measures of sex-role orientation were scales measuring success-seeking, denial of social obligations, the desire for independence and the desire for academic achievement: sociodemographic measures were grade in school, ethnicity, religion, parents'' educations and occupations; another measure tapped deviant behavior other than alcohol and drug misuse. Findings were compared with those of an earlier study of drinking patterns in adolescent girls. In all grade-ethnic subgroups, more boys than girls drank, and among drinkers, boys reported more problem consequences of drinking and more symptoms of alcohol dependence than did girls. Gender had a significant main effect (P < 0.001) on each of the drinking variables but on most of the role-orientation indexes, differences between boys and girls in various grade-ethnic subgroups were < 5% of the possible scoring range. Denial of social obligations was the orientation most clearly separating boys from girls, boys in every subgroup having a more negative view of social obligations than did girls (P < 0.001). Of the 4019 boys who drank, those who were extremely negative toward social obligations also showed significantly higher levels (P < 0.001) on the measures of drinking than did drinking boys who were less opposed to social obligations. Denial of social obligations explained 20% of the sex differences in the probability of drinking, 33% of the sex differences in the quantity-frequency of drinking and problem consequences of drinking and 65% of the sex differences in drinking symptomatic of alcohol dependence. Because other research findings indicate that adolescent drinking is more directly and strongly associated with relations with parents and peers, and perhaps with short-term situational influences, the impact of role orientations may be indirect or complex.