NCJ Number
180789
Date Published
1998
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Semi-structured interviews of 122 students in 10th to 12th grade in a public school in a rural county in Michigan gathered information on the drinking behavior and consequences of drinking for males and females.
Abstract
The research resulted from recognition that feminists have raised questions about gender bias embedded in many past and current social studies and that methodological issues related to studying males' and females' drinking experiences have led to a search for new and more reliable measures of young people's drinking behavior. The study began in November 1995. The interviewers encouraged the participants use their own words to describe their drinking behavior and its consequences. The responses were then categorized and analyzed, reversing the usual methodological technique in which youth are asked to reply to questions on alcohol use with fixed and sometimes cant alternatives. Results revealed that males tended to report problems classifiable as physical discomfort, strain in relationships, or encounter with law enforcement. In contrast, females apparently experienced more guilt feelings, believed that they engaged in irresponsible or inappropriate behavior, and were more apt to feel emotional and psychological effects from drinking. Both gender groups often experienced similar problems and expectations, but their accounts of their experiences differed qualitatively. Findings supported recent research demonstrating that gender has a role in the kinds of alcohol-related problems that adolescents experience. Findings also confirmed a suspicion expressed by many feminists that established measures of alcohol-related problems should be revised to represent female as well as male experiences and perceptions. Note and 47 references (Author abstract modified)