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Background Incorrect perceptions of high rates of peer alcohol and tobacco use are predictive of increased personal use in student populations. Correcting misperceptions by providing feedback has been shown to be an effective intervention for reducing licit drug use. It is currently unknown if social norms interventions are effective in preventing and reducing illicit drug use in European students. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of a multi-site cluster controlled trial of a web-based social norms intervention aimed at reducing licit and preventing illicit drug use in European university students. Methods/Design An online questionnaire to assess rates of drug use will be developed and translated based on existing social norms surveys. Students from sixteen universities in seven participating European countries will be invited to complete the questionnaire. Both intervention and control sites will be chosen by convenience. In each country, the intervention site will be the university that the local principal investigator is affiliated with. We aim to recruit 1000 students per site (baseline assessment). All participants will complete the online questionnaire at baseline. Baseline data will be used to develop social norms messages that will be included in a web-based intervention. The intervention group will receive individualized social norms feedback. The website will remain online during the following 5 months. After five months, a second survey will be conducted and effects of the intervention on social norms and drug use will be measured in comparison to the control site. Discussion This project is the first cross-national European collaboration to investigate the feasibility of a social norms intervention to reduce licit and prevent illicit drug use among European university students. Final trial registration number DRKS00004375 on the ‘German Clinical Trials Register’.

Background Knowledge about the prevalence of sexual risk behaviour (SRB) in adolescence is needed to prevent unwanted health consequences. Studies on SRB among adolescents in Central Europe are rare and mostly rely on a single indicator for SRB. This study aims to assess the association of behavioural and psychological factors with three types of SRB in adolescents in Central Europe. Methods We obtained data on behavioural factors (having been drunk during previous month, smoking during previous week, early sexual initiation), psychological factors (self-esteem, well-being, extroversion, neuroticism, religiousness), and SRB (intercourse under risky conditions, multiple sexual partners, and inconsistent condom use) in 832 Slovak university students (response 94.3%). Results Among those with sexual experience (62%), inconsistent condom use was the most prevalent risk behaviour (81% in females, 72% in males). With the exception of having been drunk in males, no factor was associated with inconsistent condom use. Regarding the other types of SRB, early sexual initiation was most strongly associated. In addition, other, mostly behavioural, factors were associated, in particular having been drunk. Conclusion Results suggest that behavioural factors are more closely related to SRB than psychological factors. Associations differ by type of SRB and gender but offer few clues to target risk groups for inconsistent condom use. Results show a high need for health-promotion programmes in early adolescence that target SRB in conjunction with other health risk behaviours such as alcohol abuse.

This study aims to explore the associations between descriptive normative beliefs (DNB), alcohol use and negative consequences and test whether self-regulation (SR) moderates this relationship. The data was collected online from 1621 first-year university students in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia. The AUDIT, self-regulation questionnaire and questions regarding DNB were used. DNB were found to be positively associated with drinking across all the samples. The associations between DNB and alcohol use as well as between alcohol use and negative consequences were stronger among students with lower SR. The protective effect of SR on alcohol use and consequences combined with the theory of social influence may improve intervention accuracy and make it a promising target for intervention among young adults. Keywords: self-regulation, descriptive normative beliefs, alcohol use consequences, first-year university students Cilj je ove studije istraziti povezanost opisnih normativnih uvjerenja (descriptive normative beliefs, DNB), uzivanja alkohola i negovih stetnih posljedica te provjeriti umanjue li samoregulacija ovaj odnos. Podaci su prikupljeni na internetu od 1621 studenta prve godine sveucilista u Ceskoj, Madarskoj, Litvi i Slovackoj. Koristeni su upitnici AUDIT, upitnik za samoregulaciju i pitanja o DNB-u. U svim je uzorcima DNB pozitivno povezan s konzumacijom alkohola. Povezanost izmedu DNB-a i uzivanja alkohola kao i izmedu uzivanja alkohola i njegovih stetnih posljedica bila je jaca kod studenata s nizom samoregulacijom. Zastitni ucinak samoregulacije na konzumaciju alkohola i njegove posljedice, u kombinaciji s teorijom drustvenog utjecaja, mogu poboljsati tocnost intervencije i uciniti je obecavajucom mjerom djelovanja medu mladim odraslim osobama. Kljucne rijeci: samoregulacija, opisna normativna uvjerenja, posljedice uzivanja alkohola, studenti prve godine fakulteta

Background: University students are a risk group for heavy substance use and the experience of various potentially severe negative substance use consequences which may impact on their health, social, and academic functioning. Whilst the experience of negative consequences of substance use is well understood in North American student samples, there is little data on these experiences in European students. In order to develop effective harm prevention and reduction interventions for students’ substance use, there needs to be an understanding of the types of consequences experienced in European student samples. Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and predictors of the experience of negative substance use-related consequences amongst university students in 7 European countries. Methods: University students (n = 4,482) in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Turkey, and the UK completed an online survey of their substance use behaviours and the experience of associated negative consequences. Results: European students reported that experiencing a hangover or illness, missing class, being short of money, and experiencing memory loss were the most commonly experienced negative consequences of substance use. Not living with other students and using alcohol, cannabis, sedatives, and cocaine were also associated with higher odds of experiencing these negative consequences. Conclusions: In contrast to North American data, European university students tended to experience consequences that are associated with lower level health risks rather than more severe consequences (e.g., drink-driving and physical injury). Harm prevention and reduction interventions for students should be targeted towards those consequences that are most salient to the target group to ensure feedback is relevant and potentially more effective in changing students’ substance use behaviours.

This study aims to explore the associations between descriptive normative beliefs (DNB), alcohol use and negative consequences and test whether self-regulation (SR) moderates this relationship. The data was collected online from 1621 first-year university students in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia. The AUDIT, self-regulation questionnaire and questions regarding DNB were used. DNB were found to be positively associated with drinking across all the samples. The associations between DNB and alcohol use as well as between alcohol use and negative consequences were stronger among students with lower SR. The protective effect of SR on alcohol use and consequences combined with the theory of social influence may improve intervention accuracy and make it a promising target for intervention among young adults.

Brutovska et al explore the moderation effect of normative beliefs (injunctive and descriptive) in the relationship between attitude toward alcohol use and frequency of alcohol use while controlling for socio-demographic variables (gender, age and socioeconomic status). 1,938 university students (79.2% females; M=21.7; SD=2.16) participated in the study. The students were surveyed on their frequency of alcohol use, attitude toward alcohol use, descriptive and injunctive normative beliefs. The authors assumed that the different level of normative beliefs (descriptive and injunctive) influences the relationship between attitude toward alcohol use and individual frequency of alcohol use. T-tests and linear regressions in SPSS 21.0 were used for the data analysis. The moderation effect of descriptive but not injunctive normative beliefs in the relationship between attitude toward alcohol use and frequency of alcohol use was demonstrated, although higher injunctive normative beliefs contributed to more frequent alcohol use. Similarly, a more positive attitude toward alcohol use as well as male gender and higher income were associated with more frequent alcohol use. The use of self-report measures and cross-sectional design represent the main limits of the study.

This study aims (i) to understand how descriptive normative beliefs (DNB) about typical students' alcohol use and self-regulation (SRG) are related to alcohol use (AU) by exploring the indirect effect of SRG on AU through DNB and (ii) to explore gender differences and the differences between universities in DNB, SRG and AU. The cross-sectional data were collected online from 817 Slovak university students from four universities (75.22% females; Mage = 19.61; SD = 1.42), who filled in the AUDIT-C items, items measuring the DNB about typical students' AU and SRG. T-tests, one-way Anova and structural equation modelling were used for data analysis. Gender differences in AU and DNB were found with males having higher levels of both AU and DNB. The tested model of AU fits the data well. A significant association was found between DNB and (i) AU (positive) and (ii) SRG (negative). The analysis confirmed the existence of an indirect effect of SRG on AU through DNB. The study contributes to research concerning AU by the way in which DNB and SRG are linked to AU among Slovak university students. The research findings can also be used in developing prevention and intervention programs.

Background: The Social Norms Approach, with its focus on positive behaviour and its consensus orientation, is a health promotion intervention of relevance to the context of a Health Promoting University. In particular, the approach could assist with addressing excessive alcohol consumption. Aim: This article aims to discuss the link between the Social Norms Approach and the Health Promoting University, and analyse estimations of peer alcohol consumption among European university students. Methods: A total of 4392 students from universities in six European countries and Turkey were asked to report their own typical alcohol consumption per day and to estimate the same for their peers of same sex. Students were classified as accurate or inaccurate estimators of peer alcohol consumption. Socio-demographic factors and personal alcohol consumption were examined as predictors for an accurate estimation. Results: 72% of male and 51% of female students were identified as having accurate estimations about the amount of alcoholic drinks consumed per day by their peers. Male students, older students, those studying year 3 and above, and Turkish and Danish students were more likely to accurately estimate their peers’ alcohol consumption. Independent from these factors, students’ accurate estimation of peers’ drinking decreased significantly with increasing personal consumption. Conclusions: As accurate estimates of peer alcohol consumption appear to affect personal drinking behaviour positively, Social Norms interventions targeted at correcting possible misperceptions about peer alcohol use among students may be a useful health promotion tool in the context of a Health Promoting University.

Background: The Social Norms Approach, with its focus on positive behaviour and its consensus orientation, is a health promotion intervention of relevance to the context of a Health Promoting University. In particular, the approach could assist with addressing excessive alcohol consumption. Aim: This article aims to discuss the link between the Social Norms Approach and the Health Promoting University, and analyse estimations of peer alcohol consumption among European university students. Methods: A total of 4392 students from universities in six European countries and Turkey were asked to report their own typical alcohol consumption per day and to estimate the same for their peers of same sex. Students were classified as accurate or inaccurate estimators of peer alcohol consumption. Socio-demographic factors and personal alcohol consumption were examined as predictors for an accurate estimation. Results: 72% of male and 51% of female students were identified as having accurate estimations about the amount of alcoholic drinks consumed per day by their peers. Male students, older students, those studying year 3 and above, and Turkish and Danish students were more likely to accurately estimate their peers' alcohol consumption. Independent from these factors, students' accurate estimation of peers' drinking decreased significantly with increasing personal consumption. Conclusions: As accurate estimates of peer alcohol consumption appear to affect personal drinking behaviour positively, Social Norms interventions targeted at correcting possible misperceptions about peer alcohol use among students may be a useful health promotion tool in the context of a Health Promoting University.

Cilj je ove studije istražiti povezanost opisnih normativnih uvjerenja (descriptive normative beliefs, DNB), uživanja alkohola i njegovih štetnih posljedica te provjeriti umanjuje li samoregulacija ovaj odnos. Podaci su prikupljeni na internetu od 1621 studenta prve godine sveučilišta u Češkoj, Mađarskoj, Litvi i Slovačkoj. Korišteni su upitnici AUDIT, upitnik za samoregulaciju i pitanja o DNB-u. U svim je uzorcima DNB pozitivno povezan s konzumacijom alkohola. Povezanost između DNB-a i uživanja alkohola, kao i između uživanja alkohola i njegovih štetnih posljedica bila je jača kod studenata s nižom samoregulacijom. Zaštitni učinak samoregulacije na konzumaciju alkohola i njegove posljedice, u kombinaciji s teorijom društvenog utjecaja, mogu poboljšati točnost intervencije i učiniti je obećavajućom mjerom djelovanja među mladim odraslim osobama.