Abstinence among adolescents and young adults as a significant factor in the development of health literacy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14712/25337890.5216Klíčová slova:
health literacy, psychology of health, adolescents, abstinence, protective factorsAbstrakt
Health literacy has been identified as an important health construct with an impact on the health of both individuals and the population. Abstinence is considered a significant preventive factor, and adopting this attitude has an impact on the development of a person's entire personality, especially in terms of strengthening mental health and the aforementioned health literacy. It seems that a certain level of health literacy is necessary to decide to abstain, and conversely, adopting an abstinence attitude is linked to the development of an interest in one's health. However, little attention is paid to the phenomenon of abstinence in the theory and practice of school education. This is reflected in the low number of research surveys and theoretical studies that focus on the abstinence lifestyle (in general). The aim of this text is to define the concept of abstinence in the context of large studies and smaller research projects; to place it in a global and Czech framework; to map its potential as a resilient tool; and to highlight the importance of this issue in the Czech environment using specific stories from pilot research.
Reference
Arrington, E. G., & Wilson, M. N. (2000). A re-examination of risk and resilience during adolescence: Incorporating culture and diversity. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 9(2), 221 –230.
Aura, A., Sormunen, M., Tossavainen, K. (2016). The relation of socio-ecological factors to adolescents’ health-related behaviour: A literature review. Health Education, 116(2), 177 201. https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-03-2014-0029
Bartram, A., Eliott, J., Hanson-Easey, S., & Crabb, S. (2017). How have people who have stopped or reduced their alcohol consumption incorporated this into their social rituals? Psychology & Health, 32(6), 728–744.
Bendtsen, P., Damsgaard, M., Huckle, T., Casswell, S., Kuntsche, E., Arnold, P., & Holstein, B. E. (2014). Adolescent alcohol use: A reflection of national drinking patterns and policy? Addiction, 109(11), 1857–1868.
Bergh, D., Hagquist, C., & Starrin, B. (2011). Parental monitoring, peer activities and alcohol use: A study based on data on Swedish adolescents. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 18(2), 100–107.
Brooks, F. M., Magnusson, J., Spencer, N., Morgan, A. (2012). Adolescent multiple risk behaviour: An asset approach to the role of family, school and community. Journal of Public Health, 34(SUPPL. 1), 148-156. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fds001
Caldwell, L. L., & Darling, N. (1999). Leisure context, parental control, and resistance to peer pressure as predictors of adolescent partying and substance use: An ecological perspective. Journal of Leisure Research, 31(1), 57–77.
Cherrier, H., & Gurrieri, L. (2013). Anti-consumption choices performed in a drinking culture: Normative struggles and repairs. Journal of Macromarketing, 33, 232–244.
Chomynová, P., & Kážmér, L. (2019). Leisure-time socializing with peers as a mediator of recent decline in alcohol use in Czech adolescents. Journal of Substance Use, 24(6), 630–637.
Chomynová, P., Csémy, L., & Mravčík, V. (2020). Evropská školní studie o alkoholu a jiných drogách (ESPAD) 2019. Zaostřeno, 6(5), 1–20.
Chomynová, P. & Dvořáková, Z. (2025). Evropská školní studie o alkoholu a jiných drogách 2024 (ESPAD): Souhrn výsledků v České republice. Praha: Úřad vlády České republiky.
Čablová, L., & Miovský, M. (2013). Rizikové a protektivní faktory v rodině, které predikují užívání alkoholu u dětí a dospívajících. Československá Psychologie: Časopis Pro Psychologickou Teorii a Praxi, 57(3), 255–270.
Conroy, D., & de Visser, R. (2013). “Man up!”: Discursive constructions of non-drinkers among UK undergraduates. Journal of Health Psychology, 18(11), 1432–1444.
Conroy, D., & de Visser, R. (2014). Being a non-drinking student: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Psychology & Health, 29(5), 536–551.
Conroy, D., & de Visser, R. (2015). The importance of authenticity for student non-drinkers: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Health Psychology, 20(11), 1483–1493.
Conroy, D., & de Visser, R. O. (2018). Benefits and drawbacks of social non-drinking identified by British university students. Drug and Alcohol Review, 37, S89–S97.
Csémy, L., Dvořáková, Z., Fialová, A., M., Malý, M., & Skývová, M. (2025). Národní výzkum užívání tabáku a alkoholu v České republice 2024 [NAUTA]. Praha: Státní zdravotní ústav.
Denscombe, M. (2001). Peer group pressure: New developments and policy implications. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 8(1), 7–32.
de Looze, M., Raaijmakers, Q., ter Bogt, T., Bendtsen, P., Farhat, T., Ferreira, M., Godeau, E., Kuntsche, E., Molcho, M., Pförtner, T. K., Simons-Morton, B., Vieno, A., Vollebergh, W., Pickett, W. (2015). Decreases in adolescent weekly alcohol use in Europe and North America: Evidence from 28 countries from 2002 to 2010. European Journal of Public Health, 25, 69–72. Oxford University Press.
Dočkalová, B. (2023). Abstinence u mladých dospělých [Abstinence among young adults] (Rigorózní práce). Univerzita Karlova.
Ellickson, P. L., Bird, C. E., Orlando, M., Klein, D. J., & McCaffrey, D. F. (2003). Social context and adolescent health behavior: Does school-level smoking prevalence affect students’ subsequent smoking behavior? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44(4), 525–535
European Union Drugs Agency (2025). European Drug Report 2025.
Emslie, C., Hunt, K., & Lyons, A. C. (2013). The role of alcohol in forging and maintaining friendships amongst Scottish men in midlife. Health Psychology, 32, 33–41.
Engels, R., & Van der Vorst, H. (2003). The roles of parents in adolescent and peer alcohol consumption. The Netherlands Journal of Social Sciences, 39, 53–68.
Ennett, S. T., Bauman, K. E., Foshee, V. A., Pemberton, M., & Hicks, K. (2001). Parent-child communication about adolescent tobacco and alcohol use: What do parents say and does it affect youth behavior? Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 48-62.
EUROSTAT. (2022). Frequency of alcohol consumption by sex, age and educational attainment level.
Fehm, L., Pelissolo, A., Furmark, T., & Wittchen, H.-U. (2005). Size and burden of social phobia in Europe. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 15, 453–462.
Graber, R., de Visser, R., Abraham, C., Memon, A., Hart, A., & Hunt, K. (2016). Staying in the ‘sweet spot’: A resilience-based analysis of the lived experience of low-risk drinking and abstention among British youth. Psychology & Health, 31(1), 79–99.
Griffin, C., Bengry-Howell, A., Hackley, C., Mistral, W., & Szmigin, I. (2009). The allure of belonging: Young people’s drinking practices and collective identification. In M. Wetherell (Ed.), Identity in the 21st century: New trends in new times (pp. 213–230). London: Palgrave.
Haenfler, R. (2006). Straight Edge. Clean-living youth, hardcore punk and social change. Rutgers University press: New Jersey.
Hartnoll, R. (2003). Výběr vzorku metodou sněhové koule: Snowball sampling. Praha: Úřad vlády ČR.
Hendricks, G., Savahl, S., Florence, M. (2015). Adolescent peer pressure, leisure boredom, and substance use in low-income Cape Town communities. Social Behavior and Personality. International Journal, 43(1), 99–110. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2015.43.1.99
Herring, R., Bayley, M., & Hurcombe, R. (2014). But no one told me it’s okay to not drink: A qualitative study of young people who drink little or no alcohol. Journal of Substance Use, 19(1–2), 95–102.
Hnilicova, H., Nome, S., Dobiasova, K., Zvolsky, M., Henriksen, R., Tulupova, E., & Kmecova, Z. (2017). Comparison of alcohol consumption and alcohol policies in the Czech Republic and Norway. Central European Journal of Public Health, 25(2), 145–151.
Irwin, D. D. (1999). Straight edge subculture: Examining the youths’ drug-free way. Journal of Drug Issues, 29(2), 365–380.
Herman-Kinney, N. J., & Kinney, D. A. (2013). Sober as deviant: The stigma of sobriety and how some college students “stay dry” on a “wet” campus. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 42(1), 64–103.
Inchley, J., Currie, D., Budisavljevic, S., Torsheim, T., Jåstad, A., Cosma, A. et al., editors. (2020). Spotlight on adolescent health and well-being. Findings from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey in Europe and Canada. International report. Volume 1. Key findings. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
International Resilience Project. (2006). Project report. [http://www.resilienceproject.org/documents/2006_reports/mainreport.pdf]
Kalina, K. (2001). Mezioborový glosář pojmů z oblasti drog a drogových závislostí. Praha: Filia-Nova.
Kalina, K. (2003). Drogy a drogové závislosti: Mezioborový přístup. Praha: Rada Evropy – Skupina Pompidou.
Kabíček, P., & Hamanová, J. (2005). Prevence rizikového chování v dospívání. Preventivní pediatrie – manuál pro provádění preventivních prohlídek. Postgraduální Medicína, 7(suppl 2), 57–60.
Kohútová, K., Almašiová, A. (2018c). Voľný čas ako prediktor užívania legálnych návykových látok u žiakov základných a stredných škôl. Psychológia a patopsychológia dieťaťa, 52(2), 151–163.
Kokkevi, A., Richardson, C., Florescu, S., Kuzman, M., & Stergar, E. (2007). Psychosocial correlates of substance use in adolescence: A cross-national study in six European countries. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 86(1), 67–74.
Livingston, J. A., Testa, M., Hoffman, J. H., & Windle, M. (2010). Can parents prevent heavy episodic drinking by allowing teens to drink at home? Addictive Behaviors, 35(12), 1105–1112.
Medrut, F. P. (2015). Extracurricular and leisure activities as predictors of adolescent substance use. Revista De Asistenta Sociala, XIV(3), 153–162.
Miovský, M., Adámková, T., Barták, M., et al. (2015). Výkladový slovník základních pojmů školské prevence rizikového chování. Druhé, přepracované a doplněné vydání. Praha: Klinika adiktologie 1. LF UK v Praze a VFN v Praze.
Nairn, K., Higgins, J., Thompson, B., Anderson, M., & Fu, N. (2006). “It’s just like the teenage stereotype, you go out and drink and stuff”: Hearing from young people who don’t drink. Journal of Youth Studies, 9(3), 287–304.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2003). Preventing drug use among children and adolescents: A research-based guide for parents, educators, and community leaders (2nd ed.). Maryland, Bethesda: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Nash, S. G., McQueen, A., & Bray, J. H. (2005). Pathways to adolescent alcohol use: Family environment, peer influence, and parent. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37(1), 19–28.
Ng Fat, L., Shelton, N., & Cable, N. (2018). Investigating the growing trend of non-drinking among young people: Analysis of repeated cross-sectional surveys in England 2005-2015. BMC Public Health, 18(1).
Nováková, E., Mravčík, V. (2020). Alcohol’s harms to others. Hygiena, 65(1), 10–16.
Ostaszewski, K., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2006). The effects of cumulative risks and promotive factors on urban adolescent alcohol and other drug use: A longitudinal study of resiliency. American Journal of Community Psychology, 38(3–4), 237–249.
Piacentini, M. G., & Banister, E. N. (2006). Getting hammered? Students coping with alcohol. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 5(2), 145–156.
Piacentini, M. G., & Banister, E. N. (2009). Managing anti-consumption in an excessive drinking culture. Journal of Business Research, 62(2), 279–288.
Provazníková, H., Nešpor, K. (1999). Slovník prevence problémů působených návykovými látkami: pro rodiče a pedagogy. 3. rozš. vyd. Praha: Státní zdravotní ústav.
Regan, D., & Morrison, T. G. (2011). Development and validation of a scale measuring attitudes toward non-drinkers. Substance Use & Misuse, 46(5), 580–590.
Rinker, D. V., & Neighbors, C. (2013). Reasons for not drinking and perceived injunctive norms as predictors of alcohol abstinence among college students. Addictive Behaviors, 38(7), 2261–2266.
Rolova, G., Gavurova, B., & Petruzelka, B. (2020). Exploring health literacy in individuals with alcohol addiction: a mixed methods clinical study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6728.
Romo, L. K. (2012). “Above the influence”: How college students communicate about the healthy deviance of alcohol abstinence. Health Communication, 27(7), 672–681.
Ryan, S. M., Jorm, A. F., Lubman, D. I. (2010). Parenting factors associated with reduced adolescent alcohol use: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(9), 774–783.
Seaman, P., & Ikegwuonu, T. (2010). Young Adults' Alcohol Use within Social Networks: A Study on Drinking to Belong.
Skála, J. (1988). - až na dno!?: fakta o alkoholu a jiných návykových látkách. 4. přeprac. a dopl. vyd. Praha: Avicenum, 1988.
Steinberg, L., & Monahan, K. C. (2007). Age differences in resistance to peer influence. Developmental Psychology, 43(6), 1531–1543.
Stewart, D. W., Adams, C. E., Cano, M. A., Correa-Fernández, V., Li, Y., Waters, A. J., ... & Vidrine, J. I. (2013). Associations between health literacy and established predictors of smoking cessation. American journal of public health, 103(7), e43-e49.
Thorlindsson, T., Bjarnason, T., & Sigfusdottir, I. D. (2007). Individual and community processes of social closure: A study of adolescent academic achievement and alcohol use. Acta Sociologica, 50, 161–178.
Whelan, E. (2019). Does a social media abstinence really reduce stress? A research-in-progress study using salivary biomarkers. In Information Systems and Neuroscience: NeuroIS Retreat 2019 (pp. 13-18). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Wood, R. T. (2006). Straight edge youth: Complexity and contradictions of a subculture. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.
World Health Organization. (2013). Health Literacy: The Solid Facts. World Health Organization.
World Health Organization. (2019). Global status report on alcohol and health 2018. World Health Organization.
