Self concept, social class, and knowledge of alcohol and alcohol consumption among 12 and 13 year old students

The purpose of this study was to determine if relationships existed between the alcohol consumption of early adolescent students and their self concepts, social class, and knowledge regarding alcohol. . For purposes of differentiation, the students were classified as abstainers from alcohol, infrequent users of alcohol, and frequent users of alcohol. The sample consisted of 388 seventh and eighth grade students in ten junior high schools in the Memphis City Schools during the fall semester of 1979. All of the students were l2 or 13 years of age. This group consisted of 1l5 male and 133 female abstainers from alcohol, 36 male and 34 female infrequent users of alcohol, and 32 male and 38 female frequent users of alcohol.

To gather the data, the following instruments were used: (1) the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, (2) an Alcohol Consumption Questionnaire which contained questions to establish social class, and (3) an Alcohol Knowledge Test. The statistical analysis of self concept consisted of analysis of variance and the Scheffe post hoc procedure for multiple comparisons. A chi-square test was also utilized in analysis of one scale of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, Total Positive. Chi-square tests were also utilized to analyze the data on social class and knowledge of alcohol.

The frequent users of alcohol differed from the abstainers in self concept. The abstainers had more positive perceptions of their own behavior. . They also had more positive views of their bodies, their states of health, their physical appearances, their skills, and their sexuality. There was a significant difference in the alcohol consumption of females of high and low social class. There was a significantly high number of high social class female infrequent drinkers and a significantly high number of low social class female abstainers. There were no significant differences in the social class of male abstainers from alcohol, infrequent users of alcohol, and frequent users of alcohol. There were also no significant differences in knowledge regarding alcohol in the three alcohol consumption groups.

The conclusions drawn from this investigation were:

1. A majority of 12 and 13 year old students were abstainers from alcohol. The number of infrequent drinkers and frequent drinkers were about the same.

2. Slightly more males in this age group were infrequent drinkers than females. Slightly more females were frequent drinkers than males.

3. Abstainers from alcohol had more favorable overall self concepts than either infrequent drinkers or frequent drinkers. Infrequent drinkers had more favorable overall self concepts than frequent drinkers.

Abstainers of both sexes had higher levels of self concept than frequent drinkers. The abstainers had more favorable perceptions of the way they act or what they do. They also had a more positive view of their bodies, their states of health, their physical appearance, their skills, and their sexuality.

5. Twelve and 13 year old boys of high and low social class did not differ in their alcohol consumption.

6. Girls of high social class were more likely to be infrequent drinkers than girls of low social class, and girls of low social class were more likely to be abstainers from alcohol than girls of high social class.

7. Alcohol consumption in 12 and 13 year old students was not related to knowledge about alcohol.