Social norms and alcohol consumption among intercollegiate athletes: the role of athlete and nonathlete reference groups.

The relationship between perceived alcohol use among peers and personal alcohol use was assessed in a sample of collegiate athletes. Data were collected on 109 intercollegiate athletes during the competitive season and 119 athletes during the off-season at a large, state university in the Northeastern United States. Participants were asked to estimate the normative alcohol use of four reference groups (closest athlete friend, closest nonathlete friend, typical athlete, and typical nonathlete). Results of both in-season and off-season analyses indicated that athletes estimated that others consumed more drinks per week than they did, and perceptions of these social norms predicted personal use. Although the typical athlete norm emerged as the strongest predictor of personal alcohol use, the relative strength of the relationships between individual behavior and the athlete and nonathlete norms varied according to seasonal status. Results have implications for the content and timing of prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing high-risk alcohol use among intercollegiate athletes.