From eye rolls to punches: experiences of harm from others' drinking among risky-drinking adolescents across Australia

Tina Lam, Anne-Marie Laslett, Rowan Ogeil, Dan Lubman, Wenbin Liang, Tanya Chikritzhs, William Gilmore, Simon Lenton, Jane Fischer, Alexandra Aiken, Richard Mattick, Lucinda Burns, Richard Midford, Steve Allsop

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    Abstract

    Objectives: Exploration of experience of harms due to another person’s drinking within a demographic particularly vulnerable to these consequences.
    Importance of study: Largest sampling of young Australian risky drinkers, who are under-represented in general population surveys. The range of harms due to others’ drinking reported here are more comprehensive than documented elsewhere.Study type: Cross-sectional self-report survey.Methods: Participants were 14–19 years old and screened as being within the riskiest drinking 25% for their age cohort. The convenience sample of 3465 was recruited primarily via social media advertising. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in all eight Australian capital cities (n=596), supplemented by online surveys (n = 2869). Past 12-month experience of 13 harms due to others’ drinking was assessed by age, gender and perpetrator. Results: Females were more likely to experience six harms, mainly characterised by fear and harassment, such as being harassed or bothered at a party or some other private setting (41% vs 34% of males; p<.001); being given unwanted sexual attention (71% vs 47%; p<.001); and being put in fear (33% vs 20%; p<.001). Males were more likely to experience three harms, characterised by aggression: being yelled at, criticised or verbally abused (38% vs 33% of females; p = .002); being pushed or shoved (42% vs 28%; p<.001); and being physically hurt (17% vs 11%; p<.001). Teenagers of a legal alcohol-purchase age were more likely to experience harassment in public settings (47% vs 32-33%; p<.001) and unwanted sexual attention (66% vs 51–59%; p<.001) compared to younger teenagers. Seven of the harms studied were more likely (p<.01) to be perpetrated by people the respondents knew, and five (those associated with fear and aggression) were more likely to be perpetrated by strangers.
    Conclusion: Young people who are also risky drinkers commonly experienced multiple harms from others’ drinking. Many of these alcohol harms to others (AHTO) are reported here for the first time, as previous studies of adolescent drinking have focused almost exclusively on the harms young people have experienced from their own drinking. This refocusing on the harms caused by the drinking of others may prompt greater community concern and concomitant calls for better alcohol regulation.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article numbere2941927
    Number of pages10
    JournalPublic Health Research and Practice
    Volume29
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 4 Dec 2019

    Keywords

    • alcohol consumption
    • young adults
    • Alcohol use

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