Social Norms and Alcohol Consumption among College Students: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Social norms may contribute to alcohol consumption in college students. Perceived consumption and peer approval during college may be predictive to alcohol intake. We intend to describe the relation between alcohol consumption and social norms in college students. A systematic literature review, through a meta-synthesis and a meta-analysis, was performed. A random-effect model to assess the effect size was performed. A total of 21 studies were included in the meta-synthesis. Of these, 8 were included in the meta-analysis. Significant associations were found between alcohol consumption and descriptive and injunctive norms, with peer pressure, consumption intention and type of consumption. It was also verified that students with higher levels of social norms were more likely to adhere to alcohol consumption. The relationship between alcohol consumption and descriptive norms may be due to students’ overestimation of consumption and attitudes of their peers. The association with injunctive norms may be due to the relevance attributed to their peer’s perception about their own behaviours and consumptions. Alcohol consumption is related with social norms, gender, peer influence/pressure and with alcohol consumption intention. However, the role of social approval and identity regarding alcohol consumption shouldn’t be disregarded.