| Drinking
and Young Adults in the Workplace: A Longitudinal Case Study
Principal Investigator:
Genevieve Ames, Ph.D.
View
Video Presentation
System
Requirements: This presentation contains digital video, which
utilizes Windows Media Player 7/8 and is best viewed on a
computer with at least a Pentium III/450 MHz or better processor
and a DSL/ISDN (256 kbps) Internet connection. To avoid playback
interuptions, it is recommended all e-mail applications are
closed while viewing.
The
overall goal of this study is to gain an understanding of
changes in the drinking patterns of young adults after their
entrance into the United States working population. The research
focus is on recent entrants to basic training, and thereafter,
various occupational categories within the United States Navy.
The
specific objectives are to observe changes in drinking patterns
and drinking problems among entrants to the officer and enlisted
ranks; to examine drinking and drinking problems in relation
to individuals' background characteristics and psychosocial
factors; to analyze the relationship between work environment
and drinking, with a focus on major conceptual areas of social
control, availability, and stress factors; and to study the
effect of characteristics of military culture on changes in
alcohol beliefs, expectancies, and behaviors.
The
research design calls for a mixed method approach, including
surveys, on-site ethnographic interviews and observations,
and archival data collection. Following a baseline survey
with 2,000 new regular enlistees and approximately 1,000 new
officer candidates at the start of their training process,
two more survey waves will be administered in years 2 and
4, after they have entered occupational categories of their
Navy careers. Ethnographic interviews and observations will
be ongoing at selected occupational settings with an emphasis
on drinking in the context of cultural rituals, role modeling,
and symbolic behavior.
The
findings from this project will lead to a better understanding
of specific elements of individual factors and work environments
that influence drinking behavior of young adults entering
the workplace in both civilian and military populations.
Proceed
to PRC CD Presentation featuring Dr. Genevieve Ames
Return
to Projects Directory
| 
