A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Attitudes Toward ...

The International Journal of the Addictions, 24(12), 1229-1236,1989

Research Note

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Attitudes Toward Alcohol Among French and United States College Students Richard D. McAnulty," MIS University of Georgia

Louis E. McGuire, PhD Carolyn Minder, PhD Northeast Lwisiana University

David P. McAnulty, PhD Louisiana State University School of Medicine Department of Family Mediche

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to compare attitudes toward alcohol in two Western cultures with traditionally distinct drinking patterns, the United States and France. France is generally considered as the greatest world consumer of alcoholic beverages whereas the United States is ranked lower with a different drinking typology. A lescale semantic differential was administered to 295 first-year college students *To whom requests for reprints should be addressed at the University of Georgia, Department of Psychology, Athens, Georgia 30602.

MC ANULTY ET AL.

at the University of LiUe in France and to 242 freshman and sophomore college students in the United States. Data were analyzed by means of a discriminant analysis. After the final step of a stepwise entry of variables, 11 of the 14 adjective pairs remained in the analysis, producing a highly significant function. This function yielded an overall accuracy of classification of 79%. Results were congruent with previous findings suggesting overpermissive attitudes toward alcohol among the French respondents and more ambivalent attitudes toward alcohol among American subjects. Alcoholism is an almost universal problem which varies in nature and extent from culture to culture as well as by definition, over time (Fleck, 1970). Increasingly, cross-cultural studies are being used to better understand the variations in patterns of alcohol use and its outcome, along with attitudes and values about these, across populations (Heath, 1984). The cross-cultural study of attitudes toward alcohol is important for at least two reasons. First, it offers opportunity for the improvement of prevention and intervention efforts at the international level in light of the fact that cognitions are potentially modifiable. A number of within-culture investigations have suggested that positive alcohol expectancies are powerful mediators of drinking. These findings have held up with adolescents (Christiansen and Goldman, 1983), college students (McCarty, Morrison, and Mills, 1983; Rohsenow, 1983), and both nonalcoholic and alcoholic adults (Brown, Goldman, Inn, and Anderson, 1980; Brown, Goldman, and Christiansen, 1985). Second, divergent attitudes toward alcohol may help explain the differences in levels of alcohol consumption across various countries, which have been amply documented (Moser, 1980). To date, several investigators have described distinct societal attitudes and drinking styles across cultures (Bales, 1959; Mizruchi and Perucci, 1962). More recently, however, the notion that each culture has one predominant drinking style has been challenged (Kilty, 1983). Researchers have described a trend in the direction of "internationalization," especially among Western cultures, as measured by an increasing similarity in drinking patterns (Davies and Walsh, 1983; Stivers, 1976). The present study was intended to compare subjects from two Western cultures with traditionally distinct drinking patterns, the United States and France. Indeed, France has been known as the greatest world consumer of alcoholic beverages, with an average per capita consumption of 20.8 liters pure alcohol per year (Dutch Distillers Association, 1981). The pattern of drinking is best regarded as utilitarian, with drinkers preferring wine to beer or distilled spirits and exhibiting fairly continuous drinking throughout the day (Davies and Walsh, 1983). The United States, on the other hand, was ranked 22nd, among 26 nations of the world, in a compilation of alcohol consumption sta-

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MC ANULTY ET AL. Instruments

A semantic differential consisting of 14 bipolar adjective pairs (Osgood et al., 1957) was used (the full list of adjective pairs occurs in Table 3). The French version was translated from the English by a bilingual graduate student of French nationality. Subjects were asked to rate the concept, in this case alcohol, on a scale of 1 to 7 for each adjective pair; the higher the score circled, the more closely the response corresponded to the second adjective of the pair, with 4 representing a neutral response. Procedure

The instrument was presented to classes as being part of a scientific research project assessing people's view of various drugs including alcohol, marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. Informed consent was obtained. Respondent were then urged to evaluate alcohol along each pair of adjectives, even if uncertain of how a particular scale related to their view of the drug. Following instructions, respondents were given the opportunity to ask any questions prior to completing the questionnaire.

RESULTS Data were analyzed by means of a discriminant analysis. Stepwise entry was employed in an attempt to produce an optimal combination of discriminating variables. After the final step, 11 of the 14 adjective pairs remained in the analysis, producing a highly significant function (x2 = 226.42, p < .001). This function correctly classified 80% of French respondents and 78% of American respondents, yielding an overall accuracy of prediction of 79%. F-to-remove values for the variables in the analysis are listed in Table 2 in order of relative contribution to overall discrimination. Univariate F ratios, measuring the total discriminating power of each variable independent of the separation power shared by other variables, are presented along with group means in Table 3. Seven of the 14 ratios reached statistical significance @ < .05).

DISCUSSION The results of the present study confirmed the hypothesis that French and American students would view alcohol differently, reflecting distinct drinking habits and mentalities. The French respondents rated alcohol as more pleasant, more humorous, more gentle, and more hot than did the American respondents. Conversely, alcohol was evaluated as more sociable, less passive, and less dark by

Table 2 Variables Retained in tlte Discriminant Analysis Afmr the Final Step -

Variables -

Sociable-Unsociable Serious-Humorous Hot -Cold Pleasant-Painful Active-Passive Graceful-Awkward Flexiile -Rigid Happy -Sad Relaxed -Tense Bright-Dark Gentle -Cruel

Table 3 Group Means and Univariate F Ratios --

-

-

Group Variable - -

French -

Pleasant-Painful Sociable-Unmciable Serious-Humorous Gentle-Cruel Graceful- Awkward Active -Passive Flexible-Rigid Bright -Dark Happy -Sad Relaxed -Tense Masculine-Feminine Hot-Cold Complex-Simple Strong-Weak

U.S.

F(1,533)

MC ANULTY ET AL.

by the American subjects. In general, these results seem to corroborate previous observations which describe France as over permissive and the United States as ambivalent in attitudes toward drinking (Pittman, 1967). Overall, the French sample did tend to rate alcohol in more positive terms while the U.S. sample revealed a somewhat mixed evaluation, viewing alcohol as sociable while at the same time serious and cruel. Altogether, these findings suggest cultural differences in the function alcohol serves for the two different populations. American college students may use alcohol primarily as a recreational drug, while being aware of the serious aspects of alcohol. The French, on the other hand, may consume alcohol in a greater variety of situations, such as meals, and consider the drug as more innocuous. The discriminant function obtained in this study supports this idea. In fact, with the overall contribution of all the scales taken into consideration, the Sociable-Unsociable scale proved to be the best single discriminator between the two groups, followed by the Serious-Humorous and Hot-Cold scales. The hypothesis that general attitudes toward alcohol would show some degree of similarity for the groups in question was also supported. Indeed, an examination of group means for the Gentle-Cruel and Brlght-Dark scales reveals that both nationalities viewed alcohol in a relatively negative direction. In spite of significant differences between the groups, neither rated alcohol in the gentle or the bright direction. In contrast, both the French and American respondents rated alcohol in a relatively positive direction on the Pleasant-Painful scale. The absence of any measure of alcohol use in this study makes it impossible to directly assess the relationship between attitudes and drinking pattern. However, the differences between these two cultures with regard to drinking patterns have been widely documented in previous investigations. Moreover, the present findings are considered exploratory in nature. Future research is needed linking attitudinal differences across cultures to divergent patterns of alcohol use. Furthermore, studies of alcohol use and attitudes should include broader segments of the respective populations in order to evaluate the extent to which the present findings may be generalized. In summary, the results of the present investigation validate the utility of the semantic differential as an instrument for discriminating between the samples from the respective populations. In addition, we can conclude that while a certain degree of similarity in attitudes toward alcohol exists between French and U.S. college students, perhaps suggesting an "internationalization" of drinking patterns in Western cultures, specific differences do endure which allow precise discrimination between these two groups.

CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISON OF ATTITUDES TOWARD ALCOHOL

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors wish to thank Dr. Hubert Touzard, head of Psychology at the University of Lille, for making the French subjects available. REFERENCES BALES, R.F. Cultural differences in rates of alcoholism. In G. McCarthy (ed.), Drinking and Intoxkation (pp. 263-277). Glenoe, IL: Free Press, 1959. PROW, S.A., GOLDMAN, M.S., and CHRISTIANSEN, B. A. Do alcohol expectancies mediate drinking patterns of adults? J. Consult. Clin Psychol. 53: 512-5 19, 1985. BROWN, S.A., GOLDMAN, MS., INN, A., and ANDERSON, L,R. Expectations of reinforcement from alcohol: Their domain and relation to drinking patterns. J. ConsuIt. Clin Pvchol. 48: 419426,1980. CHRISTIANSEN, B.A., and GOLDMAN, M.S. Alcohol-related expectancies versus demographic/background variables in the prediction of adolescent drinking. J. Consult. Clin Pvchol. 51: 249-257,1983. DAVIES, P., and WALSH, D. AlcoholA.oblemsand Alcohol Control in Europe. New York: Gardner Press, 1983. DUTCH DISTILLERS ASSOCIATION. Stakistical Yearbook, Produkschap yoor Gedistilleerde Dranken. Schiedam: Author, 1981. FLECK, L. The twelve-year struggle against alcoholism in France. In E.D. Whitney (ed.), World Dialogue on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (pp, 20-40). Boston: Beacon Press, 1970. HALPIN, G., and WHIDDON, T. Relationships between drug attitude and drug use. Meas. EvaL Guid. 10: 55-57,1977. HEATH, D.B. Cross-cultural studies of alcohol use. In M. Galanter (ed.), Recent Develop ments in Alcoholism, VoL 2 (pp. 405445). New York: Plenum, 1984. KILTY, K.M. Styles of drinking and types of drinkers. J. Stud. Alcohol 44 : 797-816, 1983. KILTY, K.M. Attitudes toward alcohol and alcoholism among professionals and nonprofessionals. J. Stud. Alcohol 36: 327-347,1975. KUMATA, H., and SCHRAMM, W. A pilot study of crosecultural meaning. Public Opin Qumt. 20: 229-238,1956. MC CARTY, D., MORRISON, S., and MILLS, K.C. Attitudes, beliefs and alcohol use. 3. Shrd Alcohol 44: 328-341,1983. MIZRUCHI, E., and PERRUCCI, R. Norm qualities and different effects of deviant behavior: An exploratory analysis. Am. Sociol Rev. 27: 391-399, 1962. MOSER, J. Prevention of Alcohol-Related hblems: An International Review of Preventive Measures, Policies and Programmes. Toronto, Canada: World Health Organization, 1980. OSGOOD, C.E. Semantic differential technique in the comparative study of cultures. Am Anthropol. 66: 171-200,1964. OSGOOD, C.E., SUCI, G.J., and TANNENBAUM, P.H. The Measurement of Meaning. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1957. PITTMAN, D.J. Alcoholism. New York: Harper & Row, 1967. ROHSENOW, D.J. Drinking habits and expectancies about alcohol's effect for self versus others. J. Consult. CIia Psychol. 51: 752-756,1983.

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