Het drinkgedrag van Amersfoortse minderjarigen: De invloed van leeftijdsgenoten en de oplossingen van de convenantspartners

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate the attitudes of professionals and minors in Amersfoort towards the influence of peers on minor alcohol use. Furthermore, the professionals were asked to bring up some solutions for (problematic) underage alcohol use. At last, the support for these solutions was investigated by asking the minors how they thought about the (effectivity of the) solutions. Results indicate that both respondent groups see peers as very influential in underage alcohol use. A notable result was that minors did not recognize peer pressure in the first place, but after further debate, they admitted its existence. The solutions of the professionals were very diverse. They can be structured into four categories: sanctions, creating awareness, regulations and linking a debit card to an ID. The minors were the most positive about solutions with personal contact involved. They also stressed that the regulations have to be promoted. At last, when it goes wrong and a minor gets drunk, solutions with a confrontational factor in it will be the most effective, according to their opinion. The role of gender and school level in minor alcohol use can be an interesting opportunity for further research.