Claire Gavray,
University of Liege
1.Brief discussion about the
concept of binge drinking and its
measurement in research
2. Presentation of some results
related to binge drinking (ISRD3
Belgium)
Binge drinking remains a confused concept and its use can have different meanings depending on the contexts.
General Definition of Binge Drinking ‘Drinking lots of
alcohol in a short space of time, (Or) to get drunk or feel the effects of alcohol’
Drinking Lots : Generally = at least 5 glasses or units (gender neutral measure) but sometimes = 4 for women and 5 for men - IREB Institute of Scientific Research on drunks (France)
argument : physical effects/reactions are different between gender groups Note that no distinction related to age: similar effects in each age group?
Friday 28 August 2015 THE TELEGRAPH
The World Health Organisation defines binge drinking as six units of alcohol, which is the equivalent of two 175ml glasses of wine.
In a short space of time ?
ISRD-3
Over the last 30 days: how many times have you had FIVE or MORE drinks in one occasion (a ‘drink’ is a can, a glass or 0.33 bottle of beer, a glass of wine or 2cl glass of spirits) ?
* one occasion Main definition in English or in French:
• An event or happening or an important social gathering (birthday, wedding) • A favorable or appropriate time or juncture / opportunity.
(OR)to get drunk or feel the effects of alcohol’
• No criteria of desired effect in the ISRD question • Only some measures of self-control, impulsivity
! difficulty to compare on a same age-group, over time or between countries or regions
France
ESPAD age 16 Drunk at least 3 times over the last month: less than 10% in France but more than 20% in Danemark
France ESCAPAD > age: around age 17
+- 10% of youth of this age get drunk regularly
Over the last month, 46 % of the youth drank at least 5 glasses of alcool in one occasion (56% of boys and 36% of girls)
HBSC Belgium, Wallonia : at age 17: 55% of young people have already experienced binge drinking at least twice over one month period.
2003 Tucker, Orlando et al. Age 13-23 – 6 consecutive surveys > typology : non bingers (32%), moderate-stables(16%) and steady-increasers (16%)
Elements/factors linked to binge drinking in scientific literature (some described as only true/valid for boys or girls)
• Desire to be considered as a man (for boys) • Depression, angst (for girls)
• Tension reduction • Attraction for danger
• Failing or difficulties at school or in relationships • Scare of the future
• Desire to imitate friends or distinguised oneself from peers • Frienship or pressure from peers
• Desire to imitate adults • Socio economic conditions • History of drinking in the family
• Confrontation to parents’ separation
• Maltreatment, permissive attitudes (at home and in school) • Other substance use
• Drinking culture of the country or regionlow efficacy-low conventionality/moral values, high level of externalizing behavior (for boys): antisociability, impulsive ou violent behaviors
• Market sureroundings
What can we see in our belgian sample ? school grade 7-8-9-10
n= 1760
about % of pupils concerned by binge drinking ?
>There is a gap before age 14 (not yet experiencing binge drinking) and after 17 (no ‘standard’ student in those grades : no more so
concerned by binge drinking)
> To work on a more homogeneous group > restriction of the sample to 14-17
freq. binge drinking sign.linked to age not to gender group > nothing to add ? /last month 14 y 15 y 16 y 17 y never 73% 64% 54% 46% once 10% 12% 10% 7 % more 17% 24% 36% 47% /last month girls boys never 66% 64% once 12% 10% more 22% 26%
links between ‘binge drinking at least once over the last month’ and potential significant variables/ litterature -P significant when <0.05 – more concerned on the total group (G + B) :
• Increase of serious accident - no link with victimization
• drug consumption over the last month
• A larger number of deviant behaviours over the last year: grafiti , vandalism, burglary and
shoplifting, theft (general and of/in vehicule), extorsion, wearing a ‘weapon’, assault, group fighting • Saying having done something illegal for fun
• Having frightened people for the fun
• Meeting friends who have already done illegal things • Being Belgian or of Belgian origin / foreign
• Receiving few emotional support from parents - no effect on economic welfare of the family
• Hanging out in parks, streets…
• Not much studying or working for school, having repeated grades, truancy during the last year wishing to leave school relatively early to enter the labour market
! but no effect of the school section (general , technical, vocational) - No effect of school achievment –
* Doubting oneself! But no effect of feeling bad, having dark thoughts or not feeling loved.
• Living with no parent! Effect of the problematic alcohol consumption of parent(s) - but no effect of divorce
• Having a regular group of affiliation
• Spending most of the free time with a large group of friends • Taking very few meals in family
• Going out often during the night • Recent contact with the police
• Imagining extort a friend on the value of something • Less attached to religion
• Subscales of low selfcontrol + Self centeredness /implusivity + Risk taking
Regression analyses (selection forward) with those variables – looking at the total sample and by gender group – dependant variable = ‘ at
least one experience of binge drinking over the last month’
our questions :
- Which part is explained by the model in each (sub)sample ?
- Which are the significant variables in each case ( p < 0.05) - other characteristics remaining equal-?
/ B+G expl .38 F value Pr> F Going out often during
the night 64.31 <0.0001 Having downloaded illegally 36.68 <0.0001 Parents supervision general level 26.91 <0.0001 Belgian/foreign origin 24.21 <0.0001
Having done shoplifting 16.61 <0.0001
Risk taking (low sc) 10.54 0.0012
Upper age 12.22 0.0005
Most free time with a large group of friends
6.79 0.0094
Having stolen / borrowed without permission a bike
5.18 0.0233
Having friends doing illegal things
/ B .53 expl F value Pr> F
Drug consumption 44.41 <0.0001
Going out often during the night 22.83 <0.0001
Belgian/foreign origin 25.59 <0.0001
Taking risks ( low control) 17.80 <0.0001
Upper age 13.78 0.0003
Having downloaded illegally 9.58 0.0022
Low passive parents’ control What I am doing when I go out
6.43 0.0019
shoplifting 4.32 0.389
Having stolen / borrowed… a bike
5.87 0.0162
Frequently frightening people for fun
4.42 0.0369
/ G .40 expl F value Pr> F
having friends doing illegal thinks
32.94 <0.0001 low active parents
supervision ‘ask me/tell me/check’ (not only know)
17.52 <0.0001
Going out often during the night
17.11 <0.0001 Religion less important 10.74 0.0012
Ever Downloaded ly 8.38 0.0122
Ever been Frightening people for fun
5.06 0.0254 More when she wants to
quit school quickly to earn money
5.83 0.0165 Repeated a grade 5.12 0.0235
Binge drinking > part of a contemporary style of life/of leisure ? – recent practice for girls (high value of the opportunity of gender mix leasure, to invest the public
sphere -not so recent >diffferences in historical opportunites for boys and girls
Original dynamic/delinquency or depression :
No impact of family models or characteristics; no impact of victimisation; no impact of type of schooling (general, technical or vocational);
From the tested model G/B:
Behaviour in common but not automatically all the same significant factors for girls and boys (together doing silly things, not especially the most serious)
• Girls ‘follow’ others –deviant- and especially when moral religious values are less present , when not so strongly supervised by parents and when they do not impact on school certification
• Low self-control (risk taking) , nationality of origin (?), age and drug consumption, recent theft/extorsion only > boys : more > delinquant process?
> banalization ? strategy of ‘catching up’ / ‘light’
version? Other stakes then simply copying –
distance to gender injunctions? Yes and no
BOYS /last month 14 y 15 y 16 y never 73% 59% 58% once 8% 11% 8% more 19% 30% 34% GIRLS /last month 14 y 15 y 16 y never 72% 70% 49% once 12% 12% 11% more 16% 18% 40%
Drinking much: more a traditional practice of self-assertion of boys in the process of their manliness – in continuation of gender
socialization ( goal of distinction, to give the proof of resistance) – at the same time, better acceptation of girls now
Some videos of prevention emphasise what could be those gendered dynamics and relations:
To know more about binge drinking
• Necessary to make qualitative research on this topic , to let young people tell, to understand better the motivations…
• Suggestion: to understand better the context/ state of historical opportunities for each gender group in a country/ region ( / action situational theory) : include in next wave some questions about the perception of historical opportunities between boys and girls
• Suggestion to investigate the question of loss of control, of will (in intimate relations)
