Leisure-time socializing with peers as a mediator of recent decline in alcohol use in Czech adolescents

Background: Significant declines in adolescent alcohol use have recently been observed in Europe. Growing research has focused on explaining the ongoing changes. The aim of the paper was to analyze to what extent the changes in unorganized leisure-time activities, especially a decline in socializing with peers, have affected recent changes in adolescent alcohol use in the Czech Republic. Methods: Samples of 15-16-year-old adolescents, surveyed in 2011 (N-1 = 3,699) and 2015 (N-2 = 2,738) ESPAD studies, were analyzed. A structural equation model was constructed for boys and girls separately to test the mediating effect of changes in the frequency of going out with friends on decline in adolescent binge drinking and alcohol intoxication. Results: The decline in the frequency of going out with friends explained a major part of the decline in alcohol use. The mediating effect was confirmed in both binge drinking and alcohol intoxication, and more pronounced among the girls (65.4-99.6%) compared to boys (51.1-62.7%). Conclusion: Recent changes in unorganized socializing with peers have had a significant effect on alcohol consumption among adolescents. Future research should focus on more in-depth analysis of the complexity of the relationship between face-to-face peer contacts, intensive electronic media communication, and adolescent alcohol use.