Cross-Cultural and Cognitive Factors Examined in Groups of Adolescent Drinkers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ethnicity, cognitive level, gender, drug use, and adolescent alcohol abuse. A sample of 194 white, black and Hispanic students from two high schools and one college participated in the study. The results indicated that whites report drinking more often; using alcohol more often to relieve tension; and experiencing more peer influence to drink than blacks or Hispanics. There was a significant correlation between cognitive development and degree of alcohol abuse for females, but not for males. There was no difference between high school seniors and college freshmen on drinking behavior or drinking due to stress, but there were differences between these students and high school freshmen. Peer pressure to drink was significantly greater for high school seniors than for college freshmen. While this study was exploratory, the findings offer plausible and potentially useful contributions to identifying and treating the adolescent drinker.