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Normalisation theory: Does it accurately describe temporal changes in adolescent drunkenness and smoking?
Author(s) -
Sznitman Sharon R.,
Zlotnick Cheryl,
HarelFisch Yossi
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1111/dar.12351
Subject(s) - logistic regression , population , psychology , demography , risk factor , environmental health , medicine , sociology
and Aims The multiple risk model postulates that accumulating risk factors increase adolescent drunkenness and smoking. The normalisation theory adds to this by arguing that the relation between accumulative risk and drunkenness and smoking is dependent on the distribution of these behaviours in the larger population. More concretely, normalisation theory predicts that: (i) when population level use increases, low risk adolescents will be more likely to use alcohol and cigarettes; and (ii) adolescents facing multiple risk factors will be equally likely to use alcohol and cigarettes, regardless of trends in population level use. The current study empirically tests these assumptions on five waves of nationally representative samples of I sraeli J ewish youth. Design and Methods Five cross‐sectional waves of data from the I sraeli H ealth B ehaviour in S chool‐aged C hildren survey for J ewish 10th graders were used. Logistic regression models measured the impact of changes in population level use across waves on drunkenness and smoking, and their association with differing levels of risk factors. Results Between zero and two risk factors, the risk of drunkenness and smoking increases for each additional risk factor. When reaching two risk factors, added risk does not significantly increase the likelihood of smoking and drunkenness. Changes in population level drunkenness and smoking did not systematically relate to changes in the individual level relationship between risk factors and smoking and drunkenness. Discussion and Conclusions The pattern of results in this study provides strong evidence for the multiple risk factor model and inconsistent evidence for the normalisation theory. [ S znitman SR , Z lotnick C , H arel‐ F isch Y . Normalisation theory: Does it accurately describe temporal changes in adolescent drunkenness and smoking? Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:424–432]