Alcohol use in the family and other factors, their relationship to alcohol consumption among the junior and senior student nurses of the College of St. John-Roxas

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the alcohol use among family members and other factors, and their relationship to alcohol use among the third year and fourth year student nurses of the College of St. John-Roxas. A structured questionnaire was administered to 183 third and fourth year student nurses of the college. The results of the study showed that the respondents were mostly female and almost one half were residing in the city. Most of them graduated from private high schools in the city. Most of the respondents had fathers and brothers who took alcoholic beverages while most of their mothers and sisters did not drink. The majority of the respondents who took alcoholic beverages drank beer. Most of them did it occasionally and most of them were light drinkers. The majority of the respondents stated that they drink alcohol to enjoy others’ company. The respondents however admitted that alcohol would cause headache and dizziness after taking it. The majority of the respondents who were drinking mostly drank with friends. The data further show that there were more male than female respondents whose fathers were drinking. Moreover there were also more respondents residing in the city than those residing in the rural areas who were drinking. A very high percentage of fathers who took alcoholic beverages were fathers of the respondents from the rural areas. Furthermore there were more respondents from the private than from public high schools who were drinking. There were more female than male respondents who were residing in the cities and municipalities than those from the rural barangays had mothers who were drinking. There were also more respondents from city and municipal high schools and from public high schools than those from barangay high schools whose mothers took alcoholic drinks Furthermore there were more respondents from the cities and municipalities than from rural barangays and from public high schools who had brothers who took alcoholic beverage. Almost the same percentage of drinkers among the male and the female respondents took beer, while a lesser percentage have been seen among the respondents of both sexes who took hard drinks and other drinks. A small difference was seen among the male respondents. More respondents from barangay than city high schools drank beer, but there were more respondents from city high schools than from barangay high schools who took hard drinks and a combination of drinks, also more students from the municipalities drink the other drinks. The data further show that more respondents from barangay high schools than from other schools who drank beer, more respondents from city high schools took hard drinks and combination of drinks, while more respondents from the municipalities drank the other drinks. More respondents from public high schools drank beer, while more students from private high schools drank hard drinks, other drinks and the combination of the types of drinks. There were more females than males who are light drinkers but more males than females were mild, moderate and heavy drinkers. There were more light drinkers from the barangays than from the cities and moderate drinkers. More respondents residing in the municipalities were heavy drinkers. More respondents from the barangay high schools than from municipalities and cities were light drinkers and moderate drinkers. There were more respondents from the municipal high schools than from other high schools who drank heavily. More respondents coming from public high schools are light, moderate and heavy drinkers while more respondents from private high school are mild drinkers Male students drank more often than females. More over respondents from the city were more frequent drinkers than those residing in the municipalities. Moreover students from barangay high schools drank less frequently than those from the city high schools. Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are arrived at: 1. Despite the invasion of males in the nursing profession, the females still dominate the profession. 2. The nursing profession is now a career choice not only of the students from the cities but even of those from the rural areas. This is an indication that the choice has no geographical boundaries 3. Students whose parents drink also tend to take alcohol. They also tend to have favorable attitude toward alcohol intake. 4. Lack of parental support, monitoring and communication are significantly related to students’ frequency of drinking. 5. Alcohol intake among students of the College of St. John-Roxas is still gender-linked. 6. Among adolescents who drink, the males were more likely more likely than females to drink more amount of alcohol. 7. Beer is the most popular choice of student drinkers over other types of alcoholic beverages. 8. Alcohol intake among the junior and senior student nurses of the College of St. John-Roxas has not yet reached problematic situations as most of those who take alcohol do so occasionally. 9. The desire to belong or be accepted by peer contributes largely to alcohol intake among adolescents. 10. Peers have greater influence than parents on young people’s decision to take alcoholic beverages. 11. Rural women are still more conservative than urban women as far as alcohol intake is concerned. 12. Previous alcohol intake experience may have created mood alterations that the students have joyfully experienced and this may have reinforced their desire to tale alcohol. 13. The availability of alcoholic beverages anywhere makes drinking very convenient among students. 14. People are at risk to dependence when they lack other capacities, choices, interests or sources of attachment to something outside themselves. 15. The potential for entering into drinking is affected by economic conditions, formal and informal social controls and cultural traditions. 16. Males have their first alcoholic drink earlier that females because alcohol even serve as an informal rite of passage from childhood to adulthood among males. 17. Parents indirectly encourage the use of alcohol among their children by drinking in front of them and telling them that alcohol beverages are acceptable if drunk in moderation. 18. Teenagers who have leisure time and money and experience less parental or community supervision are at risk of alcohol abuse, especially when they attend weekend or all-night parties. Considering the significant findings and conclusions, it is recommended that student activities should be monitored by the school and also by their parents for signs of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, for there is a possibility that drinking would continue to the point of becoming a problem. Preventive orientation on alcohol abuse and dependence be undertaken as part of the student affairs activities in school, so that proper knowledge be imparted to them. Proper management of those with alcohol problems should be instituted through linkage with proper institutions of care. To be sure that health employee could be rightfully screened before employment and no problem employees’ surface after they are employed, nurses should be screened for alcohol-problem before employment. It is also recommended that further studies be undertaken on ways and measures to limit alcohol intake among adolescents which has been proven to contribute to problems concerning them.