Predictive Factors of Alcohol Drinking Prevention Behaviors among Junior High School Students in Urban Chiang Mai

Abstract

Alcohol drinking affects significantly among youth in terms of physical development, mental health, and social behaviors. This predictive correlational research aimed to 1) investigate the relationships between personal factors, family factors, social factors, and self-efficacy in preventing alcohol consumption affecting alcohol drinking prevention behaviors among junior high school students in an urban Chiang Mai, and 2) identify the predictors of alcohol drinking prevention behaviors among these students. The samples were 430 junior high school students attending urban community schools in Chiang Mai Province recruited by multi-stage random sampling. The research instruments included 1) the Alcohol Knowledge Questionnaire, 2) the Opinions on Family Factors Questionnaire, 3) the Opinions on Social Factors Questionnaire, 4) the Self-Efficacy in Alcohol Drinking Prevention Questionnaire, and 5) the Alcohol Drinking Prevention Behaviors Questionnaire. The content validity indexes of 5 research instruments were .97, .97, 1.0, 1.0, and .97, respectively. The reliability value of the Alcohol Knowledge Test, using Kuder-Richardson 20 (KR-20), was .76. Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficients of research instruments 2-5 were .72, .80, .85, and .73, respectively. The statistics used for data analysis were percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis.

Findings of this study revealed that the students had mean scores 7.9 (S.D.=1.1) on alcohol knowledge at a high level. The mean scores for overall of the family support, social support, selfefficacy in preventing alcohol consumption, and alcohol drinking prevention behaviors were at a high level namely 31.0 (S.D.=5.6), 47.6 (S.D.=8.0), 40.8 (S.D.=7.5), and 38.7 (S.D.=6.9), respectively. In addition, the factors predicting alcohol drinking prevention behaviors (p<.05) were self-efficacy (X1), social factors in the aspect of school supports (X2), and peers (X3) which collectively accounted for 49.6% of the variance in prevention behaviors (R2=.496, Adjusted R2=.486). The resulting regression equation was Y = 6.522 + 0.499(X1) + 0.239(X2) + 0.236(X3).

The research findings can be used as a baseline for schools and related networks to plan for projects or activities to promote effective alcohol drinking prevention behaviors among students. Schools and relevant networks should implement programs that foster, particularly, refusal skills and life skills within schools, along with building positive peer networks and family involvement for proper supervision.