The Influence of Adolescents’ Social Networks on Alcohol Consumption: A Descriptive Study of Spanish Adolescents Using Social Network Analysis

Enedina Quiroga, Arrate Pinto-Carral, Isaías García, Antonio J. Molina, Tania Fernández-Villa and Vicente Martín
Additional contact information
Enedina Quiroga: SALBIS Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of León, Campus of Ponferrada s/n, Ponferrada, 24401 León, Spain
Arrate Pinto-Carral: SALBIS Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of León, Campus of Ponferrada s/n, Ponferrada, 24401 León, Spain
Isaías García: SECOMUCI Research Groups, Escuela de Ingenierías Industrial e Informática, University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, C.P. 24071 León, Spain
Antonio J. Molina: GIIGAS Research Group, Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, C.P. 24071 León, Spain
Tania Fernández-Villa: GIIGAS Research Group, Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, C.P. 24071 León, Spain
Vicente Martín: GIIGAS Research Group, Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), Ciber de Epidemiologia y Salud Pública (CIBERSP), University of León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, C.P. 24071 León, Spain

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: In adolescence, friends are important due to their influence on the acquisition of habits such as alcohol consumption. However, there is a lack of studies that describe the structural context of adolescents, which would be useful to implement prevention strategies. Therefore, our research question was how adolescent friendship networks influence alcohol consumption. Our goal was to determine the structural profile of adolescent at-risk alcohol users and their relational context in the classroom. We designed a descriptive cross-sectional study based on social network analysis to analyze structural patterns. We recruited 195 students. Social-network and alcohol-consumption variables were analyzed using the UCINET and STATA programs. Some 86.67% of participants had consumed alcohol at some time in their lives and the prevalence of at-risk alcohol use was higher in females (50.48% vs. 49.52%; OR: 1.84; CI 95%: 0.99–3.43%; p = 0.036). The lower the intensity of friendship, the more contacts adolescent at-risk alcohol users had within the network, and the easier it was for them to access their peers. Consequently, we conclude that the structure of a class is a key factor that merits further research.

Keywords: adolescents; alcohol consumption; social-network analysis; structural pattern in the class (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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