Relationship Between Normative Consciousness and Alcohol Drinking in Health and Social Services Minor Students

Abstract

  We conducted a questionnaire survey to clarify the relationship between state of normative consciousness and experience of alcohol drinking among underage students at university of health and social services. The questionnaire was distributed to 370 first-year students at universities of health and social services；results from respondents who were underage at the time of the survey were analyzed for the relationship between their normative consciousness and experience of alcohol drinking using a chi-square（χ²）test. The response rate was 81.5%. Only a minority of students had experienced problem/risk-taking behaviors, indicating high normative consciousness overall. In all, 17.8% of the students had experienced alcohol drinking. Characteristics of students with experience of alcohol drinking included low self-esteem related to family and disregard for traffic rules. In particular, violations of the Road Traffic Law were regarded as reflecting a low state of normative consciousness rather than a state of having had an undesirable experience as a general norm in daily life. The results of the survey suggested the need for education to enhance normative consciousness and for student education on underage alcohol drinking as part of university education in the future.