Gender Differences in Associations Between Alcohol Use, Normative Beliefs and Religious Belief: Slice Study.

Abstract

Background: Religion can affect health by providing health promoting norms of behavior. The aim of this study was to examine how much of the variance in alcohol use can be explained by normative beliefs about alcohol consumption and the importance of religious belief among men and women. Methods: The research sample: 802 Slovak university students (females: 75.7%) who participated in the international study SliCE. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, scale measuring alcohol related normative beliefs and single item measure of the importance of religious belief were used. Data were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney U-test and linear regression. Findings: Gender differences were found in alcohol use (U=25830, p<0.01). Normative beliefs (0.309, p<0.01) and the importance of religious belief (T1) (-0.131, p<0.05) among women and normative beliefs (0.259, p<0.05) among men contributed to the variance of alcohol use. Conclusion: The findings contribute to the knowledge about gender differences in alcohol use. The implementation of a social influence strategy with emphasis on the correction of normative beliefs is an important part of prevention in men and women