SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS FROM GENERAL PUEYRREDÓN AND NEARBY AREAS

Abstract

Problematic alcohol consumption refers to the behaviour of abuse of toxic substances (legal and illegal) that affects different areas of the consumer's life (Law 26,934, 2014). In Argentina, it is estimated that the onset of alcoholic beverage consumption is around 13 years of age (Ministry of Health, 2022), and worldwide, it has been proven that the associated positive expectations directly influence consumption (Ahumada -Cortez et al., 2018). Faced with this scenario, the interest to know the expectations associated with alcohol consumption by adolescents from the General Pueyrredón District and surroundings have arisen. For this purpose, a quantitative study of descriptive scope was developed in a sample of 227 adolescents who answered the Questionnaire on Expectations towards Alcohol for Adolescents in Argentina (Pilatti et al., 2010). A slight positive trend was found between the positive expectations, with no differences according to gender, age and type of schooling, and a slightly negative trend concerning negative expectations, with significant differences according to gender. These results allow us to infer that the adolescents surveyed positively associate alcohol consumption with sociability and, among them; some males consider that alcohol induces them to commit risky or aggressive attitudes.