Social and experiential drivers of adolescent alcohol use: evidence from an exploratory concept mapping study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: To identify and prioritize adolescents’ motivations for alcohol consumption using a participatory qualitative approach. Methods: We conducted a concept mapping study with 39 adolescents aged 15–16 years from a public secondary school in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Participants generated statements in response to a focal question about reasons for drinking, grouped them into categories, and then rated each statement according to perceived frequency and importance using a five-point Likert scale. Results: A total of 41 statements were generated and organized into eight clusters: peer approval, influence, enjoyment, experimentation, fun, disinhibition, social pressure, and coping. Motivations related to fun, peer dynamics, and disinhibition received the highest ratings for both frequency and importance. In contrast, motivations linked to advertising, social media, and influencers were rated lowest. A strong positive association was observed between perceived importance and reported frequency across statements. Conclusions: Adolescents identified enjoyment and peer dynamics as the primary motivations for alcohol use, emphasising the significance of social influences in adolescent drinking behaviours. Despite the necessity for cautious interpretation of findings due to the context-specific nature of the sample, the results suggest that prevention efforts may benefit from the promotion of alcohol-free social environments, the strengthening of social emotional skills, and the involvement of adolescents in preventive initiatives.