Approximately 82% of young adults have reported alcohol use in the past year with around 28% reporting consumption of 5+ drinks during a single occasion. Young adults are exposed to alcohol-related media in many forms including social media, print or billboards, movies and TV shows, and radio or music streams. The media consumed by young adults may influence their attitudes towards and engagement in alcohol use. Furthermore, media portraying positive versus negative effects of alcohol may have differential associations with alcohol use behaviors. This study examines the effect of exposure to media with alcohol-related content on heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol-related negative consequences among young adults.
The study’s sample consisted of 201 young adults age 18-25 years old who reported engaging in HED at least once in the past month and experiencing 4+ alcohol-related consequences in the past month. Participants completed a baseline survey and follow-up surveys at 1, 6, and 12 months. Demographic information was collected during the baseline survey and included age, sex assigned at birth, race/ethnicity, and school type (2 or 4 years). Each of the surveys assessed typical drinking on each day of the week during the past month, number of negative alcohol-related consequences experienced in the past month, and HED over the past two weeks. Respondents were also asked about exposure to positive and negative alcohol-related images and messages during a typical week. Data was analyzed using a multilevel modelling framework.
Results of the data analysis showed participants reported the most exposure to alcohol-related media on social media and in movies or TV shows. Exposure to media portraying positive effects of alcohol decreased at a rate of 0.09 units per year from ages 18 to 27. Exposure to media portraying negative effects decreased at a rate of 0.08 units per year from ages 18 to 27. At the between-persons level, exposure to positive alcohol-related content was associated higher average HED frequency and exposure to media portraying the negative effects of alcohol use was associated with lower average HED frequency. At both the within-person and between-person level, exposure to media portraying positive effects of alcohol was associated with more negative alcohol-related consequences. Surprisingly, exposure to media portraying negative alcohol-related effects was positively correlated with negative consequences at the within-person level.
Takeaway: Exposure to media portraying negative and positive alcohol-related consequences may impact alcohol use behaviors among young adults.