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HAZARDOUS ALCOHOL USE AND CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG U.S. COLLEGE STUDENTS ABROAD IN ITALY
Michael A. Mitchell, MA
VA Pittsburgh’s Interdisciplinary Program Addictions Education and Research (“VIPER”)
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA
Co-authors: Poyrazli, S. & Broyles, L.M.
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Disclaimer• The views expressed in this presentation are those of the
authors and do not necessary reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.
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Acknowledgements• Funding
• This material is based upon work supported by the Office of Academic Affiliations (Mitchell), Health Services Research and Development (Broyles, CDA 10-014) and with resources and the use of facilities at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
• Authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.
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Background• Italy a top destination for U.S. college students studying
abroad• Staff, international news provide anecdotal accounts
about the severity and types of alcohol-related problems• Students with hazardous alcohol consumption (e.g., binge
drinking) may experience direct/indirect adverse consequences
• Heavier drinkers more intentions to go abroad, may be responsible for “transporting” cultural norm
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Purpose• Assess the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use and
recent binge drinking in a sample of U.S. college students studying abroad in Italy
• Identify the relationships between drinking and cultural adjustment
• Determine which sociocultural factors predict binge drinking
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Design and Methods• Cross-sectional, web-based survey • Students studying abroad in Italy between 2012-2013• 2 institutions from Northeast U.S.• Convenience sampling recruitment procedures with study
abroad advisors as gatekeepers
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Alcohol Misuse• Hazardous alcohol consumption
• Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)• Cut-off score >8
• Binge drinking• Gender-specific item (>5 drinks/male, >4 drinks/female)
Saunders J. B., Aasland, O. G., Babor, T. F., de la Fuente, J. R., & Grant, M. (1993). Development of the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT): WHO collaborative project on early detection of persons with harmful alcohol consumption — II. Addiction, 88, 791-803.
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Cultural Adjustment
Pedersen, E. R., Neighbors, C., Larimer, M. E., & Lee, C. M. (2011). Measuring Sojourner Adjustment among American students studying abroad. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(6), 881-889.
Sojourn Adjustment Measure (SAM)
• 24 items, 7-point Likert scale (Strongly disagree Strongly agree)
Factor Example
Social interaction with host nationals Had meaningful social interactions with local people
Cultural understanding, participation Actively tried to learn more about local customs, traditions in my host country
Language development, use Used my host country’s language (or dialect/idioms) to communicate with local people
Host culture identification Behaved in ways that are typical of members of my host country
Social interaction with co-nationals Socialized a good deal with other Americans
Homesickness or feeling out of place Felt sad or depressed about being far from home
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Analysis• Descriptive statistics• Bivariate analyses for correlations• Logistic regression
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Sample CharacteristicsDemographics (n= 111)
Female 76%
Age, mean (SD) 20.17 (1.06)
White/Caucasian 91%
Heterosexual 96%
Single 67%
Location
Rome 47%
Florence 38%
Junior year 51%
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Hazardous Alcohol UseHazardous Alcohol Use
AUDIT score, Mean (SD) (Range) 8.02 (4.85) (1-22)
Male 9
Female 6
% with AUDIT >8 46%
Binge Drinking
% Binge Drinking 63%
Male 65%
Female 63%
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Associations between Alcohol Use and Cultural Adjustment
• Binge drinking associated with:• Hazardous alcohol use (r = .62**)• Social interaction with American peers (r = .42**)• Social interaction with Italian nationals (r = .21*)
• Social interaction with American peers associated with: • Hazardous alcohol use (r = .30*)• Host culture identification (r = .32*)
* p < .05, ** p < .001
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Predictors for Binge Drinking Abroad• Students socializing with American peers while abroad
had a 19% increase in the odds of binge drinking (Factor 5) (OR = 1.192, CI = 1.087 - 1.306, p = .000)
• Socializing with American peers was the only variable factor in the multivariable model that predicted binge drinking
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Discussion• Sizeable proportion students self-reported recent binge
drinking • Nearly half considered hazardous drinkers• Binge drinking and hazardous alcohol use linked to
socializing with American peers• Social interaction with peers associated with greater
understanding Italian culture
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Implications• Alcohol education
• Partnerships with local community about cultural awareness
• Alcohol intervention/research• Partnerships with regional study abroad organizations for further
research, evaluation• Qualitative and mixed-method research studies for more in-depth
understanding• Vulnerable student groups, e.g. student veterans, women
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Contact Information
Michael A. Mitchell, MA
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS)
University Drive (151C), Building 30, 2nd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15240
412-360-2139 (office)
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Cafe500
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“Nella fabrrica delle notti shot degli americani”
• http://corrierefiorentino.corriere.it/firenze/notizie/cronaca/2010/26-aprile-2010/nella-fabbrica-notti-shot-1602906420327.shtml