Young police officers' alcohol consumption and motivation of alcohol use

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is a serious risk factor in some age groups and professional cultures, such as young adults and police officers. The aim of the this study was to examine the alcohol consumption of Hungarian police students and their motivations for alcohol consumption. A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted among police students at the Ludovika University of Public Service Faculty of Law Enforcement. The sample designed by convenience sampling included a total of 270 respondents. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess problematic substance use. Motivation for alcohol use was measured using the Drinking Motives Questionnaire Revised Short Form (DMQ-R-SF). The prevalence of current alcohol abuse was 85.2 percent in the total sample. In the year before the survey, 77.0 percent of the students were involved in excessive alcohol use (binge drinking), and 18.5 percent were classified as problem drinkers (AUDIT 8+). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of current alcohol abuse (p = 0.496) or problem drinking (p = 0.173) between men and women. Police students’ alcohol consumption was most influenced by social motivations (M = 6.36; SD = 1.63). Social motivation increased the risk of drinking alcohol in the past month by 50 percent (OR = 1.51; p = 0.001) among police students. For problem drinking, socilal motives (OR = 1.52; p = 0.002) and enhancement motives (OR = 1.53; p = 0.006) were risk predictors.