Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2006 Jul;25(4):361-70.
doi: 10.1080/09595230600741339.

How the quality of peer relationships influences college alcohol use

Brian Borsari  1 , Kate B Carey
Affiliations
Review

How the quality of peer relationships influences college alcohol use

Brian Borsari et al. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2006 Jul.

Abstract

Peer relationships are consistently linked to alcohol use in college students. However, this disparate literature often reveals contradictory findings regarding the precise mechanisms of peer influence. In this review, we use an organisational framework based on social learning theory (SLT) to demonstrate how the quality of peer relationships may influence personal alcohol use. We propose that the quality of peer relationships enhance the influence of social reinforcement, modelling and cognitive processes on personal alcohol use. Research indicates that the quality of peer relationships influences drinking via three pathways: the lack or breakdown of quality peer relationships, alcohol use being an integral part of peer interactions, and if peers disapprove of alcohol use or do not drink. This conceptualisation of peer influence informs the consistent finding of gender differences in college student drinking. Limitations of the reviewed research include reliance on cross-sectional surveys, self-report and homogeneous populations. Future directions for research on quality peer relationships involve detailed longitudinal assessment and the application of advanced statistical methods.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Influence of quality of peer relationships on personal alcohol use.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wechsler H, Lee JE, Kuo M, Seibring M, Nelson TF, Lee H. Trends in college binge drinking during a period of increased prevention efforts. J Am Coll Health. 2002;50:203–17. - PubMed
    1. Gill JS. Reported levels of alcohol consumption and binge drinking within the UK undergraduate student population over the last 25 years. Alcohol Alcohol. 2002;37:109–20. - PubMed
    1. Karam EG, Maalouf WE, Ghandour LA. Alcohol use among university students in Lebanon: the IDRAC University Substance Use Monitoring Study (1991 and 1999). Drug Alcohol Depend. 2004;76:273–86. - PubMed
    1. Adelekan ML, Ndom R, Obayan AI. Monitoring trends in substance use through a repeat cross-sectional survey in a Nigerian university. Drugs Educ Prev Policy. 1996;3:239–47.
    1. Kypri K, Langley JD, McGee R, Saunders JB, Williams S. High prevalence, persistent hazardous drinking among New Zealand tertiary students. Alcohol Alcohol. 2002;37:457–64. - PubMed

Publication types