| Autor: |
Probst C; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.; Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany., Vu TM; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK., Epstein JM; New York University, New York, NY, USA.; Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA., Nielsen AE; Public Health Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA., Buckley C; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK., Brennan A; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK., Rehm J; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.; University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.; Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.; Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia., Purshouse RC; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. |
| Abstrakt: |
Background . By defining what is "normal," appropriate, expected, and unacceptable, social norms shape human behavior. However, the individual-level mechanisms through which social norms impact population-level trends in health-relevant behaviors are not well understood. Aims . To test the ability of social norms mechanisms to predict changes in population-level drinking patterns. Method . An individual-level model was developed to simulate dynamic normative mechanisms and behavioral rules underlying drinking behavior over time. The model encompassed descriptive and injunctive drinking norms and their impact on frequency and quantity of alcohol use. A microsynthesis initialized in 1979 was used as a demographically representative synthetic U.S. population. Three experiments were performed in order to test the modelled normative mechanisms. Results. Overall, the experiments showed limited influence of normative interventions on population-level alcohol use. An increase in the desire to drink led to the most meaningful changes in the population's drinking behavior. The findings of the experiments underline the importance of autonomy, that is, the degree to which an individual is susceptible to normative influence. Conclusion . The model was able to predict theoretically plausible changes in drinking patterns at the population level through the impact of social mechanisms. Future applications of the model could be used to plan norms interventions pertaining to alcohol use as well as other health behaviors. |
