Alcoholnormen en alcoholblootstelling bij jonge kinderen

Abstract

Objective: In this paper we examined alcohol exposure and alcohol norms among young children. These constructs could possibly influence the alcohol use during adolescence. We studied the differences between the arguments given by Dutch children between four and eight years old. Methods: Qualitative data were collected during one explorative measurement with semi-structured interviews and the electronic Appropriate Beverage Task (eABT). The eABT is an electronic task in which children have to choose a drink for people in drawings about several social occasions. A selected sample of 31 boys and 35 girls participated in this research (M = 6.13 years old). The research took place in The Netherlands, during April and May of 2016. Results: The children of six and seven years old used more arguments about alcohol exposure and alcohol norms compared to the four and five year old children. But, there were no differences between the given arguments of the participating boys and girls. Additionally, children gave different arguments for the pictures on which children were present, in contrast to pictures where children were absent. Finally, arguments based on alcohol exposure were used to support children’s alcoholic beverage choice for family members, while arguments based on alcohol norms were used to support children’s beverage choice for non-family members. Conclusions: Children showed several differences in arguments to support their alcoholic beverage choices in the eABT. Longitudinal research is needed to show the connection between early alcohol norms and exposure and alcohol use in adolescence.