Adolescent extracurricular activity and levels of alcohol use in regional and metropolitan locations: The mediational role of peers.

Vernon, Lynette (2009) Adolescent extracurricular activity and levels of alcohol use in regional and metropolitan locations: The mediational role of peers. Honours thesis, Murdoch University.

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Abstract

This study takes a bioecological approach to examine whether the association between adolescents’ extracurricular activity participation and levels of alcohol use would be moderated by gender and location; and explores the mediational role of peers’ alcohol use between adolescents’ sport participation and their levels of alcohol use. A representative sample of 1,158 year nine and 658 year eleven students from metropolitan and regional schools across Western Australia responded to a computer-administered self-report survey. Location moderated the portfolio-activity link to adolescent drinking; regional students participating in sports-only or sports-plus-activities reported significantly higher levels of alcohol use compared to students in activities-only or non-participants whereas for metropolitan students participating in sports-only reported significantly higher levels of alcohol use. Males and females reported similar experiences related to profile participation and adolescent alcohol use. Peers’ level of alcohol use significantly mediated the positive relation between sport participation and adolescent alcohol use for regional but not for metropolitan adolescents. Peers’ level of alcohol use significantly mediated the negative relation between non-sporting activities participation and lower levels of adolescent alcohol use for metropolitan but not for regional adolescents.

Keywords: adolescence, sport, alcohol, location, peers